Through the Sands of Time
by CristalDePhoenix
Summary: The story of Christine Kruger, sent around in time to the Mass Effect universe by a freak of nature, as she tries to figure out what happened to her while dealing with some strange new abilities and a whole new scary world. Starting by meeting Saren Arterius...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Time and Time Again

 _There was a noise…_ as she come out of the haze of sleep, faster than she likes. _Another noise….again…_ one eyelid opens, not wanting to relinquish the warm, dark embrace of sleep just jet.

 _It's the cat again… trying to get my attention by pulling things of my bed's side table…. must mean it's breakfast time then….._ The one open eye drifts to the clock on the bedside table. _6:30 AM?! Seriously Sutekh?! On a Saturday?..._ A soft sigh escapes her, both eyes close briefly and then open again. _Fine, I'm awake…won't get any more sleep until you get fed anyway._ And with that she gets up, slowly removing the hand that lazily hangs over her waist so as to not wake her fiancé. _I hate being such a light sleeper._

After the cat has been fed, she tries to crawl back in bed again, hoping for some cuddling and sleeping a bit later. But she just gets comfortable when his phone rings. _So much for that idea… I hate it that he is always on standby._ He gets up, dresses and kisses her goodbye before he is out the door. And so another Saturday alone starts. With her bed-warmer gone, she decided she might as well get up and face the day. She mumbles and groans at the thought as she gets back out of bed. Suddenly a little face stares up at her from her feet. "Woof", followed by blinking eyes and a wagging tail from the Jack Russel x. "All right, all right. Breakfast for you too."

The dogs are fed and let out, washing gets done and also the dishes; before she gets back to her studies with a cup of tea. Hours seem to fly by unnoticed, only breaking away from her work in order to sustain her body. That is, until the cat decides it's time for a break. "Aaaawww, Sutekh….. how am I supposed to work with you in-between me and the keyboard?" But she just lets out a sigh and pets him instead of moving him. "All right, I'll take a break." "Purrmew" he answers to his content at getting her attention. She gets up from her computer and grabs her small bag. "Don't give me that look! You were the one to insist on a break. Besides, the house needs a few things, like milk. You don't want us to run out of milk now do you?" The cat just looks at her, upset that his petting was stopped. She ignores him, ties back her hair in a braid, puts on a jacket and shoes and is out the door.

A short time later she returns with a bag full of groceries, puts it on the kitchen counter and starts to put everything away; blue bag still slung over her left shoulder, bag hanging on her right hip. She often forgets about the bag on her side when she goes out. Force of habit at always keeping it on her ever since it was stolen at a restaurant from having to put it down on the floor. Christine Kruger is a practical person, none of this poofy, under arm, uncomfortable fashion nonsense. Besides, too big a bag means too much clutter can accumulate. She is normal in almost every other sense, really. Long brown hair, hazel eyes, slightly taller than the average woman but nothing exceptional.

The sound of rolling thunder is suddenly heard outside, startling her with a jump. "Shit! Didn't notice that at all! …. The laundry!" she grabs a basket and runs outside. _The weather forecast didn't say anything about rain for today, not even supposed to have clouds…..just my luck._ _At least it's just the duvet that's left._ With her prize in hand, still dry; she looks up at the sky, angry at it deciding not to follow the planned weather forecast. But then something else entirely catches her eye and she stops dead in her tracks. "What…is that?" she manages to mumble out; as a strange swirling of dark clouds seem to form roughly above her, with lightning arching from one side of the swirl to the other, with a strange dark purple hue to them. Before she has a chance to decide that it's probably safer indoors, a purple lightning arc hits her from the centre of the swirl of clouds. Pain wracks her body, making every muscle contract at once and all she sees is a bright white light everywhere, and then…..nothing.

After she was sure that the pain has gone, she slowly opens her eyes. _Hmm? Blackness? So… am I dead? Feels like I'm floating… but I can't see or feel much else…_ she slowly starts to move fingers, toes, arms and legs. A soft groan escapes her as her muscles complain. _Ok, so all parts accounted for and moving without too much pain….that good right?_ Slowly small pockmarks of light start to pepper the horizon as her vision becomes more focused, covered by some sort of purplish haze. _Wait…are those starts? How did I end up in space? Or is this the doorway to heaven? Am I in some kind of nebula? That can explain the purple haze effect…but not what the hell I'm doing here….how am I even breathing?_ Panic starts to grip her and she starts to look around frantically, but finds nothing more than the vast expanse of stars and purple haze in all directions. She got up and ran around in every direction, trying to find something, anything, to grasp, even just a clue as to what is going on.

Time seemed to stand still, or move by unnoticed. After what felt like hours to her, her panic disappears and is replaced with her trying to reason what is going on logically, she folds her arms and sits crossed legged (not that there is anything to really sit on) and starts to think. _Ok so I'm not dead it seems, or heaven as a waiting room. It looks like I'm in a nebula ….. somehow… somewhere … in space …. now what?_ As she concentrates on what is going on, a surge of energy starts to trickle through her nerves, slowly working its way from her head to her toes. _What the….._ as she looks at herself, seeing an outline of purplish, flaming energy lap up from her skin. Suddenly the purple haze that surrounds her starts to get drawn into her, she could feel it moving into her very being, stinging and burning as it goes, until it reaches her head. A flash of unbearable pain shoots through her, igniting every nerve ending in white hot pain. She grabs her head around her temples and curls into a foetal position, shouting "Stop it! Get out! GET AWAY! STOP IT!" but it doesn't stop. It seems to drag out over minutes until it finally subsides and goes away. She is left breathing heavily, her whole body covered in sweat and panting. She manages to open her eyes once again. The purple haze seems to have been diminished directly around her, but she is still in space and still alive ….somehow…. probably. Y _our not supposed to feel pain if your dead, right?_

Once again time didn't seem to pass at all. Everything static and not moving. She tries to figure out what just happened, how this happened, but only comes up with more questions than answers. _Heh,… at least the purple pain cloud thing seems to be over._ She was alone with her thoughts for a very long time, she started to get hungry and tired. _How long have I been here? Am I just hanging around in order to starve to death? Maybe if I sleep I will just wake up in bed at home and all of this was just some screwed-up nightmare. Yes, that's it! It's a nightmare!_ She quickly 'rolls over' to try and go to sleep. Soon, that all too familiar warm darkness envelops her.

When she wakes, however, nothing has changed. She is still hungry and still floating somewhere in space in a purple haze. _Aaww come on! Seriously!... what am I supposed to do now?!_ She gets up and tries to start walking in one direction, any direction. But no matter how many steps she takes, it doesn't seem to get her anywhere. She keeps doing this for what seems like hours until her rumbling stomach stops her.

 _So, nowhere to go, nothing to eat or drink, and somewhere in the middle of space with nothing to do but starve to death… Just GREAT! That is if my blood-sugar doesn't dip and makes me pass out first…. Might as well enjoy the view…._ she thinks to herself. She begins to look around, trying to see some of the constellations she knows, but none seem to be there. So she starts making her own pictures in the stars, until she notices a dark blip on her horizon. _Hello? What's this?_ The blip seems to be moving and getting larger, turning and heading in her direction. She gets a swell of hope in her chest. _Maybe I won't die after all. Maybe that's my way out of here!_ "Hey! HEY! Over here!" she starts to jump up and down, waving in the blips direction. _Wait, how can I shout in space? They can't hear me. If this is space at all?_ By the time her attention is back on the blip, it's more like a streamlined bullet of a large ship, moving towards her at alarming speed. _Wait! They don't see me! They are going to run me over! Shit!_ Try as she might to run/ swim through space, she's not getting out of the way fast enough. The ship suddenly stops in front of her. But before she has time to think anything of it, a jolt of pain hits her from some beam from the ship, and she is knocked out.

When she comes to, she has a splitting headache and she hears herself groaning. _What just happened….again….._ Gravity seems to be back, and she is lying down on something solid. Not a bed but close enough. She slowly opens her eyes to survey her new surroundings, letting her eyes adjust to the new brightness, only to be shocked at what she finds. She is in some sort of pod thing with what almost seems like an orange stained glass cover that she can only see a few shapes through and a light right above her. Then there is someone hovering over the pod, possibly looking at her. "Uuhm….Hello? W-what's going on? W-where am I?" Her voice sounded ragged and dry. She hears a reply, but it's not in any language she has ever heard. Then a small prick of pain on her arm, before the feeling of some kind of medication makes her sleepy, the rest is just a blur, and blackness surrounds her once more. From there on in, everything seems to be a blur, coming in and out of consciousness, barely registering her surroundings and figures standing around her; before a prolonged darkness seems to keep her in its hold, filled with nightmares and vivid visions of destruction and death.

Suddenly, the darkness starts to ebb away slowly. She ventures to open her eyes again, only to find herself upright, but in another pod of some kind. At least this one had clear glass. She was in some kind of room with metal walls and floor, but it had odd shapes and dark corridors, and she couldn't even make out the room completely. She wasn't as hungry as she was before, but that had nothing to do with where she was now. "Hello? Is someone there?" she tried, hoping the response will be better than the last time she tried to talk. A machine like whirr responds to her inquiry. Looking down the open corridor, a light from a flashlight started to come her way out of the darkness. Relief flooded her whole body "Oh, thank goodness. Someone's found me! Can you get me out of –..." her sentence is cut short as the source of the moving light comes into view. It was some kind of robot, with smooth grey coverings, strangely bent legs and a flashlight-type head, holding an odd weapon with three fingered hands. It moved in front of her pod and made that funny whirring sound again; and then just stood there, looking at her. She was suddenly very afraid of what was going on, and didn't make another sound. Just frozen with fear like a dear in the headlights of a car.

A few moments passed of just staring, or at least she thinks it might be staring; until she heard strange footsteps from that same corridor. What she saw was even stranger and scarier than the machine in front of her. A tall, silver being came from the darkness. It had a large chest with a bulge on its back coming up to its neck, dinosaur-looking head with spikes pointing backwards at the top of its head and some things sticking out from its jaw on either side, and three claws on its hands and two on his feet; but it also looked part machine, with blue glowing eyes and an almost mechanical arm. She just kept staring, not saying a word, her heart racing in her throat and a knot forming in her stomach. Every inch of it seemed to exude confidence, authority, danger and demanded respect. This being motioned for the machine to leave and stopped in front of her pod, looking at her with almost murderous intent.

When it started speaking however, it had a strange flanging voice, but she didn't understand a word of it, and just kept staring at it in fear and bewilderment. It seemed to notice that she was not replying, and was now looking at her as if it was impatiently waiting for an answer. _Did it ask a question? What should I say? Do I need to say anything? Should I say anything?_ She pondered to herself and then, swallowed down her fear and answered in a shaky voice "I-I….don't understand." The being gave a growl and seemed to be losing its patience with her. This only made her more afraid of it. She curled back as far as the pod would allow. It reached out a hand,… claw,….. talon,…. whatever; to the pod and typed a few things on what she assumed is a console next to the glass. Then, when it spoke again, she could understand it! A translator! Awesome! But what it said and how it said it made her little bit of hope disappear in an instant, replaced by unwavering fear. "So tell me _human_ , how did you end up in a Prothean ruin, in a Prothean stasis pod?" distaste and venom seem to drip off his words. He sounded male from what she could tell, but that was only a fathom of a thought at the back of her head. _He called me_ human _, so he knows what I am and it means there are other beings in this universe, but what does he mean Prothean ruin…should I even answer? He looks real angry and dangerous….. just….. tell the truth….maybe he will let me go…..Oh…I hope he lets me go…_ "I-I don't know….what you're talking about….. I don't- I don't know what or who Prothean is…. I just want to go home, please." Her voice was shaky and ragged, both from fear and a terribly dry throat.

He initially seemed pleased at her answering, but by the time she was done, he seemed to be fuming with rage, letting out another growl at her. "Don't play games with me human! Or I will rip you to shreds and feed you to a varren. Now, what were you doing in a Prothean stasis pod!" he seemed to want to lunge at her, but before he could, a calm female voice came from the corridor.

"I sense she is speaking the truth, Saren. She knows not of what you speak. She must have come there not of her own free will and have no recollection of what brought her there." The calm, neutral voice stated, as she came from the dark corridor. She was blue skinned, wearing a strange, long, black dress that showed way too much cleavage, and a headdress with curving spines around her head.

Her voice seemed to calm him down a bit, but he still gave a low growl. "Fine! Prep her for examination and experimentation. I want to know of any and all of the abnormalities in her system the scans picked up earlier. We will get answers one way or the other. And while we're at it, see how she responds to the indoctrination." Saren barks at the female figure, but she seems to remain undeterred.

"Very well, Saren. It shall be done as you ask." The blue female replies. With this, the one called Saren turns and walks out of the room, followed by the female figure.

"Wait! What's going on! I don't want to be some guinea pig!" Christine shouted after them, but they didn't even look back at her. The machine stepped forward again, pressing a few buttons on the pod's controls, and all too soon, medication floods her system again from a pinprick, making her sleepy. "No! I won't!" she yells at no one, banging her fists on the glass as hard as she could, but to no avail. "I won't….be….used…" her limp body finally drooping over in the pod as the anaesthetic takes effect.

From this point on, time seemed to blur again between unconsciousness, nightmares and blurred but vivid visions of death and destruction by machines. Sometimes she imagines she wakes up partially on an operating table in a lab in pain, being poked and prodded and cut. And there always seemed to be some kind of humming or buzzing noise at the back of her head.

Some many blurred moments later, she slowly came to from the anaesthetic, her mind still foggy; but her eyes opened slowly to the light of the room she was in before. That humming still at the back of her head, but she decided to ignore it. Slowly she starts to look around, not wanting to tip anyone off that she is awake yet. A lone machine stood at a console, with its back to her and its weapon on a table near her. Suddenly all her memories come flooding back on what had happened, but she clamped down on the panic rising in her chest. _Ok, think Christine, THINK! Panic won't save you. Right, what can I work with, what do I have…._ And it's only now that she realises she is in some sort of hospital gown. _Great…not even wearing something useful._ She starts to feel around her in the pod for any edges, buttons or seams. She eventually finds the seam of the glass lid, but it wouldn't give. _Dammit! Will have to break the glass before the stupid machine hears me, and then hope I can out run it or find someplace to hide…..or find a way to deactivate it…. Oooohhhh I hope it has a stupid power button somewhere obvious….riiight, with my luck…..ok, glass first then stupid machine….. Ok. F=MA, and F is larger if the area is smaller, so….elbow….with full weight behind it as fast as possible…..here goes nothing. Not a lot of room for momentum in here, but I can't just sit here!_ She calms her thoughts, and focuses all her fear and panic from before into pure rage and determination, pulls up her one foot to push on the pod wall behind her, and thrusts forwards with all her strength and weight, with her right elbow to the glass. She suddenly feels a tingle of some strange energy deep inside her, and it feels like it spreads across her whole body. She roars with effort and kicks herself forwards.

 _*CRACK, CRASH*_

She quickly stumbles out of the broken pod, bits of glass in her arm and hair, a few scratches here and there but her arm took the worst of it, adrenaline keeping her from feeling much pain right away. She looks up to see the machine has already turned around and was looking at her and then the pod, and then back at her. Before she even thinks about the weapon on the table, she lunges at the machine, tackling it to the ground, acting purely on an instinct she never knew she had. As soon as they hit the floor, she starts to force her hands into the area around its neck, pulling at all the exposed wires she can get a grasp on. The machine gives a whirr in response and pushes her off it, but not before she pulls some vital wires and pipes out. She quickly spins around, back on her feet, but stops. The machine stays down on the floor, convulsing and making even stranger whirring and electronic noises, white liquid pooling on the floor below it; before it stops moving altogether and its flashlight head dies. Her heartbeat and heavy breathing is all she can hear, her vision tinged with a hint of purple and green around the edges that fades almost as fast as it appeared, until it hits her that she somehow managed to kill this machine. Or well, deactivate it... whatever. Sheer joy and relief creeps into her, but before she cries out from happiness, she gets a handle on her emotions. She still needs to escape somehow. On a table on the opposite side of the room, is her clothes and bag. She quickly gets dressed after pulling out the few glass shards in her arm and grabs her things, then walks back to the console the machine was using.

The console was some sort of orange holographic interface, in a language she didn't understand, again…. _So much for trying to find a map of this place._ While she is investigating the console trying to make anything out, her hand hovers over the controls and a quick spark jumps between her hand and the panel below, holding her in place for a few seconds. When her mind catches up to what just happened, she pulls it away quickly, first shaking her hand in pain, then staring at it. Nothing but a few scratches from the glass, and some white liquid from the machine. _Odd…._ She thinks to herself; but she knows she doesn't have time to wonder down here. It's only a matter of time before someone will notice she is gone. Grabbing the weapon on the table, she notices it at least has a basic trigger, but nothing much else she can identify. If she had to guess, it looked almost like a futuristic shotgun. She just hoped the safety was off, venturing forwards as quietly as she could down the hallway from which the Saren guy had come and gone. The hallways were mostly dark or dimly lit, even the metal corridors were black and oddly shaped, not like the typical rectangular hallways she is used to and felt like they were pressing down on her from all sides.

As she moved, she realised that at every junction it was like she knew which way to go, didn't know how, just a feeling that her escape is in that direction. She also managed to slip by a few machines unnoticed when they turned away from her. _I never thought my liking of sneaking up on people and scaring them would be this handy._ Eventually she came to a few doors, not doors like she knew them. More like bulkheads from Star Trek with a green, circular hologram in the middle. On a whim she presses it, and it opens. _So that's how doors open around here, good to know._ But before she takes 5 steps into the next corridor, she freezes. Another of those machines was standing in the corridor in front of her, looking at her. It then pointed its weapon at her, making a few whirring noises at her. Almost on instinct she just ducked down, and then pushed up just as quickly, angling her head into the machine's flashlight one. It staggered backwards, firing a few stray shots, before she turned her shotgun on it and fired at its chest. It collapsed on the floor with another whirr, and then went limp with a new pool of white liquid starting to spread beneath it.

 _Shit! Ow! Note to self, no head-butting machines_ she thought to herself while rubbing her head. S _omeone probably heard that. Got to hurry now….stupid, stupid! Always check the hallways both ways before you waltz in like an idiot!_ She started to jog down the hallways and corridors as much as she could, adrenaline fuelling her pace, until she came upon another door. But this one had a red holographic panel, and didn't open when she touched it. _Dammit! Must mean it's locked! Now where to! I don't have time to backtrack!_ As if to confirm her haste, she hears the clanking of machine feet on the metal floor plating some distance behind her. Then there is the sudden grip of panic in her throat, but before she can act or even suppress it, a jolt jumps between her open hand and the door panel it was still hovering over. She instinctively pulls back, and then looks at the door as a few small sparks jump across the panel, turning it green. _What the…. No time, figure crazy sparks out later, save myself now!_ She quickly hits the door panel and runs in the direction she believes is the fastest way out of here, not even trying to hide anymore. They know she is out now, all she can do is hope she doesn't run into any more machines directly in front of her before she gets out of here, wherever here is.

After what feels like hours of running and ducking, but was probably only a few minutes, she finds what looks like a giant hanger with insect-like smaller ships, all stacked in rows along the hanger's length. _How big is this place! This hanger seems to go on for a kilometre!_ But before she has time to gawk further, shots ring out over her head, and she ducks behind some nearby crates. _Dammit! Got to stay focused!_ She quickly peaks around the corner of the crate, to see that there are three machines heading her way, weapons at the ready. "Ok, element of surprise gone, outnumbered and out gunned." She looks at her surroundings for anything she might use to her advantage. Across the walkway from her she spots one of those small ships, with an access ladder down its one side. "Steal a ship I have absolutely no idea how to fly? Why not, I've done nearly everything else that's impossible today." She shoots a few random shots over the crate in the direction the machines are coming from, which made them take cover behind some crates of their own, managing to cripple one. This was the gap she was looking for. She leaps from behind her crates and rolls across the walkway to the access ladder next to the ship; and then scrambling up it as fast as she can. A sudden jolt of pain shoots through her left shoulder, as a bullet goes right through her, making her yell out in pain and almost losing her grip on the ladder. But she only slows for a second, then forces herself into the ship, using the adrenalin in her system to dull out the pain and press herself on. "I will not stop! I will not go back!" she kept repeating like a mantra.

Once she was in the ship, the inside reminded her of a fighter plane cockpit. She jumped into the seat, and started pressing buttons on the holo-interface. The glass hood closed and it started to make sounds like an engine starting. "Yes! Now move you futuristic insect plane! MOVE!" and as if on command, the ship jerked backwards, tearing itself free from whatever docking clamps were on it. Although she quickly got an idea of where forwards, backwards and sideways motion controls were for the ship, her movements were anything but fluent; hitting crates, walkways and other ships in the hanger, as she made her way to where she saw a big door. "That has to be my way out. Now how do I shoot it open?!" she fiddled with a few other controls, shaking the ship in erratic movements, until she hit one that made it shoot. "There you are my pretty!" she exclaimed happily and angled the ship as best she could and started shooting as she sped towards the door, blowing a hole in it. Without even thinking if the hole was big enough, she just rammed her way out. Some sparks flew from the panel in front of her, but she was out.

"Whoohoo! Han Solo, eat your heart out!" she screamed out in the cockpit, but her joy was short lived, as she was met with the emptiness of space in front of her. There seemed to be a nearby star, but she had no idea if there was a planet she could land on, or if this thing would even survive a landing for that matter. She glanced back at the ship she just escaped from, expecting them to follow her. It is only now that she sees the true size of the ship she was on. "Holy pool noodles! That thing is Mahusive!" The ship was about two kilometres long, and looked like a giant black tick, with lines of red lighting along its length. "Well, there is no way I'm going back to _that._ Rather die by my own hand out here than be a guinea pig in there. Now, let's find the warp or hyper drive or whatever this thing has to go faster. Don't think this thing has air for long distance travel." Having made up her mind, she moves her ship in the direction of the closest and brightest star, and sets about finding the FTL drive button, how she knew this she had no idea, but as long as it worked, she doesn't mind how. After some more fiddling, the console bleeped at her with an image of the star, and she pressed it; instantly making the stars streak past her. As the distance between her and that ship grew, the humming at the back of head stopped and she began to relax; only to be reminded of the pain in her now shot shoulder, blood starting to drip down her fingers by now. She carefully pulls her arm out of her jacket to get a better look at the wound. Luckily it was a small, clean hole; only going through flesh and no major arteries punctured and already cauterised thanks to whatever the bullet must have been, but her movements had reopened the wound. She rolls the jacket sleeve inwards and uses it to tie around her shoulder, trying to put some pressure on it and stop the slow bleeding. _I guess I have a little luck, could have been much worse._

When the stars stopped moving, she was in a star system with a brownish planet below her. She took a few minutes to marvel at the view and speculate if it was at all habitable. Suddenly streaks of plasma shoot by her ship from behind her, a few making impact and bringing down what little shields she had left after her crash exit. "Can't I get a bloody break?!" yelling at the now pursuing fighters, she quickly angled her ship towards the planet below her. "Please, please have a breathable atmosphere! And you insect thing, just hold together!" she tried her best to make her movements erratic enough that she wasn't an easy target, but she could feel the ship struggling after the strain she already put it through. She almost imagined a trail of smoke following her. "It's now or never! Kammmmikazeeeee!" as she sent the ship on its path of no return.

The fighter buckled as soon as it hit the atmosphere and started showing burning red streaks along its sides, but remarkably holding together. "That's it! Hold together! Backwards thrusters! Nose up! Slow down, slow down!" the ground was racing towards her way too fast, she was bashing buttons desperately to get the backwards thrusters to fire. The ship jolted again, and she saw a piece of the nose fly off, just as she found the button for thrusters. Her decent started to slow, but she was still too fast. She could now see the ground below in some detail, it looked like a desert. _Please hit a dune, please hit a dune, pleasehitadune!_ She pleaded in her head as she curled her arms over her head and curled up in a ball, bracing herself for impact.

* _CRASH*_


	2. Chapter 2: Pieces of a Puzzle

Chapter 2: Pieces of a puzzle

Garrus couldn't believe his luck, not only did he manage to prove his case that Saren was a traitor, but now here he was on the Normandy along with the first human Spectre, hunting Saren down to bring him to justice; and all with no bureaucratic red tape to slow him down. He quickly said a silent prayer of thanks to whichever Spirits gave him this gift of fortune. True it is a human ship, and a lot of the crew seem to give him side-long glances as he and the other non-human crewmembers boarded, but he was used to getting the odd look from some humans on the Citadel that are just not used to seeing a Turian, or just disliked them. So he ignored it.

He quickly found a place for himself, next to the Mako, fiddling with some of its settings, calibrating it for better performance and accuracy. He figured he might fix the Mako as well, whenever they returned from battles as he considered himself a fare mechanic. He was content with keeping himself occupied, not having been that social before either. There was always the next case to work on instead of going out for drinks with friends.

He noticed that Wrex, the Krogan bounty hunter in red armour that also came aboard, made himself at home on the opposite side of the cargo bay next to some crates; while Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, a Quarian in a purple enviro-suit that helped them with the evidence to nail Saren, made herself at home in the ship's engineering, not surprising that one.

The human soldier that had first accompanied Commander Shepard when Garrus met him, seemed to eye them suspiciously from her workstation where she maintained the weapons. Chief Williams, if he remembered correctly. Behind him was the requisitions officer towards engineering. He seemed not bothered at all about their presence, which would make him one of the few humans on the vessel to do so, he thought. But it doesn't matter, he didn't come along to make friends, they were all here to do a job; catch Saren at any cost.

Their first stop would be in the Artemis Tau cluster, looking for the daughter of Matriarch Benezia, Dr. Liara T'soni. Some kind of Prothean expert and possible link to Saren. They just didn't know which system or which planet. He hoped that he would be part of the ground team with the Commander, he was itching for a good firefight; he hated to admit it but he missed it ever since he left the Turian Military. Sure he had his fair share of gunfights in C-Sec, but it was almost always tame by comparison. The fight in Choras Den was a nice warm-up, but just made him want it more.

The booming voice of the Commander over the shuttle bay speaker snapped him out of his daydream. "Vakarian, Zorah; suit up and meet me at the Mako in 20 minutes, we're heading out!" Adrenaline started to rush his system and his excitement could barely be contained behind his smile. He quickly gave another thanks to the Spirits for answering his requests so swiftly for the umpteenth time that day. As he started clasping on his armour, the Quarian came up from engineering to get her own armour plates from her locker.

Garrus was putting on his last bits of armour when he heard the faint mumbling of the Gunnery Chief to his right, sure that he was not supposed to be able to hear her complaints. "…why he even wants them aboard, they shouldn't even be allowed…." he cut out the rest mentally. Sometimes his superior senses were more of a curse than an aid, especially in a universe where a large part of its inhabitants do not share such sensitive senses. But it did make him wonder why they were allowed to come along after all. Maybe the Commander specifically took them to test their abilities? See how they work together? If that's the case, he will try his hardest to make sure he doesn't disappoint; to prove he is useful in this mission and not just a nice interspecies relation wall ornament.

Soon the commander joins them next to the Mako in full armour and starts to debrief them. "All right team, we got a distress beacon on the surface below along with a few anomalies. The planet _Edolus_ is a half-frozen desert with a breathable atmosphere, with regular falling meteorites. Our first priority is the beacon and whoever activated it; and possibly rescue them. We are taking an extra crate of medical supplies in the Mako in case-.." the briefing was interrupted by a slightly anxious pilot over the comms. "Commander! We're picking up Geth Dropships on the other side of the planet. Looks like they haven't spotted us yet, but other than a few anomalies, there should be no reason for them to be in the system at all."

That immediately set off alarm bells in Garrus's head, and by the looks of it, the Commander's as well. Shepard furrowed his brows at the news, his face taking an expression Garrus though looked like a mixture of concern and anger. "The Geth might be the reason for the distress beacon, which means we have to hurry to the beacon if we want to find survivors before the Geth do. Joker! Take us in fast and quiet. Once we drop, keep an eye on the Geth but don't give away your position. Radio silence unless it's an emergency."

"Aye Commander"

Before Garrus had thought his concern through, he opened his mouth. "Commander? Isn't it possible that the Geth are using the beacon as a trap?" Realising he just questioned his superior's actions, he shut up, straightening himself and awaited his reprimand. If he kept this up he won't even have a chance to prove his skills before he gets himself dropped off at the next port! But the commander didn't seem to care about the breach in protocol, and instead just calmly replied to his voiced concern.

"I am aware of the possibility, Officer Vakarian. But I can't let that stop me if there are people in danger down there, most probably civilians that don't know how to defend themselves against Geth. So we go in expecting that it is a trap and keep on high alert for anything out of the ordinary, now let's move out!"

"Aye Commander"

"Yes Commander" was their respective replies and they all piled into the Mako. Garrus let out a silent sigh of relief at that, and mentally kicked himself for slipping up. He was going to have to work harder at keeping is mouth shut.

"Vakarian, take the guns; Zorah your on navigation and scanners." Shepard ordered them as he strapped himself into the driver's seat, and they both complied without another word.

"Drop in 30 seconds" came the pilot's voice, and they braced themselves for the drop, hearing the cargo doors begin to open.

Garrus never took on a Thresher Maw before, well, not with such a small squad; but he was expecting more of a trap from the Geth, even if it already fooled Admiral Kahoku's men successfully. His fears were answered when they got a nervous update from the Normandy's pilot. "Commander, looks like the Geth are looking for something, they dropped several units to your west, each one near an anomaly. They still seem to be unaware of your presence, or just don't care about us crashing their party on this side of the planet."

"Thanks Joker, we'll investigate the anomalies ourselves and see what they're up to. Shepard out."

They went to every blip Tali's scanners picked up, killing a bunch of Geth along the way; none of the anomalies were any reason for the Geth to even bother landing on the planet. Something didn't add up and it felt wrong to Garrus, and if the Commanders face was any indication, he was having the same feeling. After they drove for a while to the west, Garrus forgot nearly all worry about the Geth and was trying desperately to keep his lunch down. _Were all humans such bad drivers?! How am I supposed to spot enemies if I can't see the horizon for more than a few seconds before it bounces away?_

Tali's voice brought their mountain hiking to a blissful stop. "Geth unit four clicks North-East, heading -…uugh- towards the anomaly….. Commander?"

"Yes Zorah?"

"Do you really need to drive like that? I'm not sure I'll survive it much longer…." Came the shaky reply from the Quarian. But the Commander just gave a chuckle at that.

"Can't handle a few bumps in the road?" and they all gave a quick laugh and Garrus thought he might add to the joke.

"That might be a valid statement if your 'bumps' weren't mountains Commander, I'll have to side with her on this one." he said with air quotes.

"What? My driving isn't that bad is it?" came Shepard's incredulous reply. "Guess you'll just have to live with it a bit longer, though. Let's see if we can investigate this anomaly before the Geth get to it." And before either of them could complain again, Shepard slammed on the accelerator making the Mako lurch forward. All they could do was hang on to their restraints for dear life.

Tali yelped a reply, before something on the scanner stopped her and she now yelled at the Commander. "The anomaly is on a clear plateau surrounded by steep cliff walls and a few narrow crevasses from our direction, too small for the Mako. We need to go on foot or take the time to drive around the mountain." And she patched up the display with the readings for Sheppard to look at on his screens.

"There's no time to go around, we'll stop outside the wall and move in on foot then." And after a few more nerve-racking minutes of bouncing around, they came to a stop and the Mako was shut down, much to the relief of two of the occupants.

"Tali, keep an eye on your scanner for how close the Geth are getting, they are probably not too far off."

"They are now just under two kilometres away from this location Commander." Came her quick response.

"Good, now let's go see what all the fuss is about." And they all put on their helmets and stepped out of the Mako into ankle deep sand. As the three piled out, Garrus and Tali took a few shaky breaths before they followed the Commander again, seemingly revived from their ordeal temporarily.

Garrus's visor told him the outside temperature is a chilling -2 degrees Celsius, and he gave an internal shiver at the thought and promptly thanked his suits internal heating, turning it up another degree for good measure. They moved through one of the cracks in the vertical wall of rock that was just big enough to let them through in single file, steadily climbing upwards. Several tens of meters later and they came out to a duned plateau, with a few smaller rocks dotting the landscape. They trudged to the top of the first dune to survey their area. "There" Garrus was the first to point out something partially covered in the sand some distance away.

"That must be the anomaly we picked up. Good eye Vakarian, now use it to spot any Geth before they get the jump on us. Let's go"

"Yes Commander" came his reply, and he took his standard issue Avenger sniper rifle off his back and started to scan the area through his scope, following at the rear when they started to move towards whatever was obscured by the sand. Once they were close enough to make out more detail, they could see it's some sort of crashed small ship or fighter. The dips and rises of the dunes made it hard for Garrus to keep a visual on their surroundings, he didn't like it that there was just so many hiding places around them, and as if confirming his fear, Tali spoke up: "Commander, scanners are being jammed, I can't keep track of the Geth unit anymore." All of them tensed up and kept their weapons at the ready as they continued to the crashed vessel, Shepard on point, Tali in the middle and Garrus covering the rear. It was now evident that it was a Geth fighter by the remains of the distinct 'head' sticking out of the sand. A small amount of smoke came from a campfire in the lower end of the ship that acted almost like an overhang. None of them spoke, intent on catching every detail in their surroundings for any sign of danger. There was clearly someone here not too long ago.

They cautiously moved closer to the crashed fighter. Suddenly, Garrus stopped and motioned to Shepard he heard something coming from the ship. Before they had time to react, a shotgun shot was fired at Shepard, taking his shields down. All of them dived behind the few rocks and edges of smaller dunes that was available, scanning the area for their assailant.

A very scared and almost shrill shout of a woman's voice yells out "St…..Stay away from me!" All of them were suddenly stunned at what they just heard, here was a woman in the middle of a desert, next to a crashed Geth Fighter. It almost seemed impossible to believe. Their whole situation changes now. But how did she get here? Shepard steps forward, lowering his assault rifle and starts to talk slowly and calmly. "We are not here to hurt you. I'm Alliance Commander John Shepard. Are you hurt?" His team also lowers their weapons to low ready. They only now start to notice a few dead Geth covered by sand around the fighter. She must have managed to hold her own so far against the Geth it seems. From within the Geth fighter she crawls out wearing a tan coloured fur from some local animal that has shielded her from thermal scans and probably from freezing as well, but it was crude and only covered her back, head and down to her thighs. She held a Geth shotgun at them and looked almost feral if not for her clothes, which they all noted looked odd and outdated. A jean and jacket with some sort of boots, all covered in dirt and soot. Garrus quickly noted her favouring one leg, and she had a small bullet wound on her left shoulder.

Before they could continue talking her down, she suddenly pulls her gun up again and shoots, but misses them and instead hits a Geth behind them. Gunfire erupts and they engage a unit of Geth troopers that came from behind them around the corner of a dune. The once hysterical woman seems not to worry too much about them now and only shoots at the Geth, but keeps her distance from the team as much as her position allows. They were mowing down the Geth efficiently between the four of them. Garrus with his sniper rifle, Tali with her shotgun and occasional overload, and the Commander with precise bursts of semi-automatic sprays of bullets from his assault rifle. The woman wasn't too bad herself, but did miss occasionally.

A stray bullet from the Geth must have hit a vital point on the fighter, as the next thing either of them know is being knocked forwards by a shockwave from an explosion. Garus must have hit his head on the rock next to him as the world spinned in his helmet and he could only see stars for a few seconds. He refocused quickly and fought down the accompanying nausea, grabbing his rifle and started scanning for more enemies as soon as he got behind cover again; from the corner of his peripheral vision he saw the Commander go check on Tali. To his surprise, there were no Geth left. Even though they were farther away from the blast, they were all knocked out with a few sparks arcing over their bodies. For a second it didn't make sense to him till he realised his visor and suit readouts were offline. He looked down to his Omnitool interface, but it too was dead.

When the Commander spoke up, it startled him and he swung around, aiming his rifle at the source of the sound, only to stop himself halfway. "Easy there, I think it was some sort of EMP wave that fried all the electronics, including the Geth. Tali was knocked out by the blast as well, but seems to be stable. We got to hurry and get both her and this woman to the Mako so we can contact the ship. I'm hoping it was far enough so it wasn't affected." As Shepard got up from his crouching position, he winched and put his hand on his side instinctively for a few seconds, before ignoring the pain and continuing "I'll search for the woman, you keep an eye out for any Geth that might be heading our way now. That blast must be noticeable from a few clicks away." Garrus just nodded and headed for a better position from which he could survey more of the field, while Shepard turned around and headed for the now blown open wreckage. It only occurred to him later that his translator was also busted and thanked his time at C-Sec for teaching him basic human English. Shepard would probably not understand Palev, and was often told his Common sounded horrible.

The Commander quickly found the woman, covered in debris and a thin layer of dust from the explosion, but still alive. What did worry him was the thin layer of eezo dust that covered her and the surrounding area. He quickly took a look at himself and realized there was a little bit of the dust on him as well as his team. At least they had suits protecting them but the woman had no such protection. "We are going to need an eezo contamination team to meet us at the cargo bay, as well as a medical team…" he said while making sure his helmet was secure after the blast. "Garrus, you carry the woman and I'll take Tali; the sooner we can get out of here the better."

Garrus knew what it meant if the Commander wanted an eezo contamination team waiting for them. He quickly made sure his own helmet was still secure, winching at his still sore head after the blast and slid down the dune from his vantage point. Once he reached the woman in the wreckage, the Commander was already picking up Tali, slinging her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry so he could have one hand free to hold his pistol at the ready. Garrus wanted to do the same but the moment he tried to pick her up he knew something was wrong with her. He felt a few ribs move in ways they were not meant to, along with the fact that he could nearly feel every bone in her body. He had some basic first aid training for all Citadel species as mandatory training when he joined C-Sec, as this could sometimes be the difference between life and death until trained paramedics could arrive, and from the little he did know, this was wrong. So he instead opted to cradle her in his arms, one arm behind her shoulders, letting her head rest on his chest and the other holding up her legs; trying to be as gentle as possible so as to not cause her more injuries and he also noted how she was too light for even his estimates of how petite human woman could be. "Spirits…Commander, she is in bad shape. She has a few broken ribs and is way too light for it to be healthy, but without my omnitool to scan her, I can't be sure of anything. I suggest we hurry." he said in common.

"Then we move out." was Shepard's only reply, this time in common as well, before they started moving as fast as they could over the dunes towards the Mako. When they finally reached it, they were glad to find out that it was not affected by the EMP blast. "Normandy, do you read me? This is Shepard, we need an evac immediately. Inform Dr. Chakwas we need an eezo contamination team and medical unit ready for us in the cargo bay. All our electronics were fried in some kind of EMP pulse. Tali is knocked out cold and we found a human woman that needs immediate medical attention."

"Glad to finally reach you guys! ETA 5 minutes to evac, Chakwas will be waiting for you when you arrive." Came Jokers voice, obviously glad that they were mostly all right. "One of the dropships dipped out of orbit and is heading your way, but your pickup will reach you before they do; just keep an eye out for them though. Seems you ticked them off Shepard." He says with his usual sarcasm.

"Noted, now get your ass down here" and the Commander switched off the comms. "Garrus, stay on the guns in case some stragglers decide to come after us, I'm going to get us into a clearing for pickup." and after they made sure their patients were strapped in, he took the driver's seat.

"On it" was Garrus's quick response as he jumped into the turrets seat.

The two of them were cleared quickly from eezo contamination, as their suits kept them from directly interacting with the dust. Tali and the presumed civilian woman was transferred to the Medbay for immediate medical attention and decontamination. Tali's suit also protected her but she had a mild concussion and since her suit was fried like the rest of the equipment, she was already running a fever and swelling on the impact zone. The doctor gave Sheppard and Garrus each a once over and told them both they need to see her once she was done with the more critical cases, and left after her medical team up the lift.

"Nice work out there Vakarian, I can see why your file has so many commendations. But for now see if you can't find out who our guest is and maybe what she was doing on the planet in the first place. And remember to let Chakwas have a better look at you, I saw you took a pretty hard hit to the head from the blast."

"Will do Commander." Garrus said with a small smile. The Commander didn't seem to miss much, but ran things so much more relaxed than he had ever seen in both human and especially Turian military. He liked it, despite his earlier reservations on working on a human ship under a human commander, he was also starting to like the Commander and wondered if he treated all of his crew the same way. He started a diagnostic program on the Mako to see how much damage was inflicted by Shepard's driving and the maw, before he sat down to fix his omnitool so he could get to work on finding a name for the face of their new guest. The repair was quick and soon he was delving into C-Sec records; but to his surprise, no matches were found, not even after he broadened his search to include Earth and all the human colonies databases.

About an hour into his search, the Commander notified him that Dr. Chakwas was waiting for the two of them in the Medbay. He let his search continue to run as he turned off the omni-tool interface and headed for the elevator. The Commander was already there when he arrived, and he could see the woman in a medical pod that was probably running a decontamination sequence, while Tali lay on one of the other beds, still unconscious but probably all right otherwise.

"Ah, Officer Vakarian. Glad I didn't have to drag you up here for your check-up." The soothing voice of the older doctor said to him. But he also got the impression that she meant it in more than a joking way. She motioned for him to take a seat on the spare bed and wait while she finished up with the Commander. He silently took the cue and waited his turn. The other medical personnel being preoccupied by the guest and the Quarrian.

Shepard was the first to break the silence after a few minutes. "Dr. Chakwas found some interesting items on our guest here. Maybe you can use some of it to find out who she is and if it is a legitimate ID." At the mention of 'legitimate', Garrus' brow plates furrowed together, now looking intently at his Commander.

The doctor eyed Shepard but turned towards Garrus and answered in a neutral tone "She had a bag on her with some form of identification in it, but none of my searches pick her up under that name. Not to mention that the ID is on an actual piece of plastic. I have never even heard of it being used in that way since before I was born." Chakwas handed him the little square blue bag "It's been decontaminated along with the rest of her belongings. They are now safe, which is more than what I can say for the owner at the moment. She is stable for now, but will need surgery as soon as the decontamination procedure is done. After the surgery I will give you a full report on her condition Commander."

"Thanks doctor. Are you done with me? I also have some reports to file on the mission, especially concerning the Geth being in this system."

"Very well, but go easy on those ribs of yours for the next two days. Modern medicine might be wonderful but they can't heal bruised ribs in a few minutes." She warned, and Garrus got the impression that the Commander often did not follow doctor's orders to the letter. Shepard just nodded, pulled his shirt back on and headed out the door, and with him gone, the doctor now turned her full attention to Garrus.

"So Vakarian, seems like you gone and got yourself a minor concussion. Simple enough to remedy." She said as she scanned him with her omni-tool and then turned to get a few things to treat him.

"Thanks Doctor" was all he could think to say. He still wasn't sure how to address her otherwise. But was curious about their other patient as well. "How, is our new guest doing?"

She returned from her cabinets with a few items and raised an eyebrow at him, but continued her treatment while she spoke "There is actually very little I can tell you at the moment that you don't already know. The eezo contamination is interfering with the scans, and that which they did pick up is worrying. Like you stated when you arrived, she has broken ribs, a minor concussion, some other broken bones, is halfway starved to death and dehydrated. She must have been stranded on that planet for at least a few days. Any other details you can get when I give the Commander my final report. I presume you were asked to find out who she is, and this is why you will have access to her patient file for now. More than that none of us know." Her deft hands making quick work of dealing with his concussion.

He tried not to winch at the pain the moment the doctor touched his head and distracted himself by talking to her instead "Ok, thanks doctor. Any idea when she will be awake enough to tell us herself what happened?" he tries to fish out of her.

This got him a scowl from the doctor and he had the sudden urge to retract his words, but couldn't. "If you want to interrogate the traumatised woman you have another thing coming. I will decide when she is fit to answer questions and not before. As for my assessment, I will include it in my report once I'm done with her surgery as I already said. Now we are done here Officer Vakarian, and I would kindly ask you to leave so I can get back to my other patients." She says while pointing a finger at him like a school teacher does to a child, and he oddly felt like one at that moment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean….. don't worry, I won't unless the Commander orders me to" he says with a sigh. He wants answers but that won't help anyone if it comes from a frantic lunatic high on medication. He will just have to wait and draw his own conclusions from the evidence in her bag. He hates waiting though, unless it was for lining up a great sniper's shot.

The doctor seems to relax a bit at his statement "Good, then I will only have to deal with one of you when it comes to it. I will have a chat with the Commander myself just to make sure he doesn't get any ideas. Now, if you please, I have a surgery to prepare for." And she motions him to the door. Taking the hint and not wanting to pursue the matter further, he silently gets up, grabs his evidence and leaves the Medbay.

What he found didn't help much… _Spirits, it only raised more questions and everything seemes wrong_. He had a name and place of origin, but everything was on outdated formats with dates dating back almost 170 years. Plastic drivers licence for a car, plastic ID card, a cellular phone (he had to look it up on the extranet), earphones with wires attached? Even paper receipts, an actual photo of a male human (which he also didn't find in the databases) and paper and coin money. Everything screamed old Earth. Although the packet of antiseptic gel and sunscreen were odd personal belongings in a handbag, the items were still characteristic of that time in Earth's history.

The only normal things were the perfume and a bit of make-up. There were no records in any of the human colonies, Earth or Citadel space of a person matching her DNA or description, and he would have to request information form Earth's archives via the human ambassador to even begin to try and verify if the ID was real or fake; and even then, it meant that she had somehow travelled in time or been stuck in stasis up until recently. And stasis technology didn't exist at that time on Earth. It didn't make any sense to him. How could this be true? Or someone went through a lot of effort to make them believe she is from the past, but for what purpose? His investigative mind knew he was missing pieces of the puzzle, and the only one that could give them any answers was in surgery right now. What's worse, what did she have to do with Saren and the Geth? Why did the Geth seem intent on getting to her? Or how did she end up stranded near a Geth fighter? There were too many missing pieces of the puzzle to start seeing the whole picture.

He eventually went to Shepard with what little he had. Needless to say Shepard was as confused as he was. Garrus was pacing a hole in the floor in front of Shepard's desk. "The only thing I can think of to do now is see if this person actually existed in the Earth archives, and see what we can learn about her from that. Your Spectre status will get the information faster than I could through C-Sec, Commander. Otherwise we have to question her as soon as the doctor says she is capable of answering coherently." Garrus says as he stopped pacing and turned to face him and sat down at the desk, but Sheppard still looked at the datapad with confusion, or at least he assumed it is confusion. His time at C-Sec taught him a few things about human facial expressions, but also that there were subtle variations from one human to the next.

Sheppard finally spoke up after a few seconds of silence "So what you're saying is that we have no information on this woman, other than she _might_ be from Earth 170 odd years ago? I find it hard to believe you even came to such a conclusion Vakarian?"

"It's something I learned in my first year as an investigator, don't deny the facts the evidence give you just because you don't like the answers or it doesn't make sense right away. Until we can completely rule out the facts and evidence as either false or not relevant, that is what it all points to Commander." Garrus tried to sound as professional as he could about it, even though he wasn't convinced himself that this is the only conclusion. "I ran some scans on the devices in her bag and found they seemed genuine and in working order. Replicating these devices with modern tech would leave tell-tale signs of the different manufacturing methods used from those used to originally make them. Everything I've seen so far points to this, no matter how ludicrous it seems. The only other way to be sure is to talk to her and ascertain the truth, there are too many pieces of the puzzle we are not seeing." In actual fact he couldn't wait to question this woman, she shot at the Commander after all. And something about this whole thing just made his plates itch. "Add to that, that the Geth are after her for some reason, perhaps something to do with Saren's plan to find the conduit; and all we have is an enigma shrouded in mystery, encased in a rubix cube." He hated not finding evidence he knew was within his grasp, but this time it wasn't red type slowing him down though.

At the last mention, Sheppard looks up at Garrus perplexed "How do you even know what a Rubix cube is?"

Garrus gets startled out of his seriousness by that question "Huh, what? Oh, one of my human colleagues had a virtual one on his desk, so I asked him about it one day."

Then suddenly it seemed like Shepard had an idea, eyebrows lifting and a hint of a smile. "Garrus, how much info does that visor of yours pick up about a person?" At this, Garrus caught on with where the Commander was going with the idea, and gave a broad Turian smile in return and answered "Heart rate and body heat signatures mostly, but on close range I can mod it to pick up major brain activity as well. Enough to act like a polygraph at least. **"**

And with this, Shepard broadened his smile. "Good, because there will be a few things we will be looking for." He stood up and started pacing the office area in his quarters, thinking aloud as he went. "Firstly I will enter and see how she reacts, since she nearly shot me; that should give us a good idea if she was really sent to try and kill me…. Secondly, you will enter and start questioning her, her reaction to you will be key here. If she _is_ from the past, she will have no idea about aliens in general. You can tell me if she reacts like a colonist that has just never seen a Turian in real life before, or if she reacts like a human that has never seen _any_ alien before nor have any fathom that they even existed…. Failing that, she will be very suspect to all this evidence and we can proceed to question her regarding her motives." Sheppard seemed to pause in thought for a second. "But… on the very slim chance that she is from the past….. you might have to get out of the medbay fast and I will question her. Don't want to overly traumatise the woman if we are trying to get any straight answers out of her….. I will ask Dr. Chakwas on her opinion on that matter before she _orders_ both of us out the airlock for being insensitive towards an already traumatised patient."

This made them both laugh. Garrus was starting to like the Commander more and more, he could actually be himself for a change and his suggestions weren't frowned upon or disregarded outright. "Very well Commander. Although the doctor already warned me not to question her before she is ready and also said she would have a word with you about that. I'll be in the cargo bay if you need me." And with a nod from Shepard he was dismissed.

When he returned to his spot next to the Mako, the diagnostics were finished and he could see the small list of problems that need fixing from even just that short ground trip. He decided he might as well start the repairs while he waited for more information on his new 'case'. At the very least it's something to do instead of just waiting around. While he worked his mind still wondered what the real story behind all of this is, his biggest fear being that she was a spy or assassin sent by Saren to take them all out in their sleep. Sure she was in surgery now, malnourished, broken bones and all; but a good infiltrator would use any method possible to get what they really needed, wouldn't they? On the other hand, if she really was who the ID said she was…. No, that wouldn't be possible, maybe it's just some collectables or family heirlooms she happened to be carrying. But that still doesn't explain how she got on that planet in a Geth fighter with them chasing after her.

He was so deep in thought he didn't notice time passing and almost didn't hear the beep from his omni-tool, indicating a message. While still lying under the Mako, he opened the message and saw it was their requested information from the Earth archives. Looking up at his half completed work, he decides he can wrap it up as soon as he deals with the new information quickly, without even getting up from under the tank. It will probably only be a short letter saying they didn't find anything. He opens the message and his mouth just gapes open, mandibles going slack in surprise. He gets up so quickly from where he was working, he hits his head, forgetting he was still under the Mako. A string of curses flow from his mouth, the pain compounded by his earlier concussion. After a few seconds of seeing stars, he manoeuvres out from under the tank, grabs a rag and cleans his talons, and heads to a crate to sit and work properly. The more he looked at it the more he didn't believe it. He made a few quick searches to news articles from that date and it just seemed to confirm it. Realising the time and that he was practically alone in the cargo hold, he wondered what happened with the surgery and why he hasn't received a report on it yet. So he got up and headed to find out for himself, if nothing else he needed those answers now more than ever, if only to confirm what he now almost believed to be fact, even if the logical part of his mind refused to believe it. Everything about it seeming to be impossible.

When he finally makes it to the crew deck after the excruciatingly slow elevator ride, he just manages to catch the Doctor leaving the Medbay. "Ah, Doctor, how did the surgery go?" he asks anxiously. He could see she looked tired, probably having some complications that kept her busy till this late.

"Vakarian?" she asks in surprise "What are you still doing up at this hour? Its already well into the night cycle. If you waited just to hear about the surgery there is not much to tell except that it's a miracle that she is even alive. I just sent my report to Shepard and yourself and didn't think either of you would be awake to read it. The night shift will take care of her while she recovers and she is not to have any visitors until she awakes." She almost rambles her thoughts out, wanting to get her rest after the taxing surgery this late into the night and dealing with Garrus wanting answers that she didn't have was beyond her patience right now.

Garrus looks at his omni-tool and sees he has a message from Chakwas only a few minutes ago. "I'm sorry doc, I didn't see the message until just now, and I was starting to worry why I hadn't heard anything yet. I'll leave you to get your rest then." He apologises, feeling a little guilty that he would think she wouldn't send him the report. She nods at him and then walks past him to the woman's section of the crew quarters to turn inn for the night. Once she was out of sight, he decided to get a snack from the fridge since he was here, and sit at the mess table going through her report, hoping desperately for any clues of cloning or genetic altering or anything that didn't point to the mounting facts to the impossible.

What he found didn't disprove anything, other than the fact that she was hanging on by a thread when they brought her aboard. The woman has two broken ribs, one fractured rib, a cracked tibia and hip bone, and a minor concussion along with some soft tissue damage around the broken bones. All of which are consistent injuries for surviving a crash and the explosion, with evidence that the majority occurred at least three days ago, most likely after the crash. The bullet wound in her left shoulder had been from a day or so before the crash as well, and she had lost some blood because of it. Add on to that being nearly starved and dehydrated, and her system must have been close to shutting down.

But that wasn't the most worrying part. She didn't seem to have had any modern medical treatment in her life. No standard immunisation, no genetic modification, actual dental fillings; some trace elements in her system that were now banned from common use in citadel space but were common in Earth's atmosphere and goods processing about two hundred years ago; no eezo exposure prior to the explosion; traces of older surgeries that can only be classed as field stitching and minor ailments that were easily fixed with a trip to even a basic modern clinic. What seemed to worry him most was the evidence of more recent experimentation; incisions across most of her body, underdeveloped and somewhat odd biotic nodes that seem to be implanted instead of having grown naturally, and something that looked like someone grafted something to the poor woman's entire nervous system. Some of it looked too familiar and for a moment horrifying moment he pondered the possibility of Dr. Saleon working with Saren, but dismissed it because there was no extra organs or traces of genetic meddling.

Garrus's head was spinning with information and what it pointed to. He must be more tired than he thought, that's it! He wasn't reading or thinking straight because of exhaustion and is now jumping to conclusions. He will take another look in the morning when he can think properly. With this, he switches off his omni-tool and headed for his bunk.


	3. Chapter 3: The Painful Truth

Hey, Thanks for the follows I got so far. I will try and update every sunday, but I will be away this weekend so it comes early this time. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 3 The Painful Truth

* _BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*…._ Came the incessant whine of his alarm. He slams his omni-tool to be quiet and slowly opens his eyes. He forgot what it felt like to wake up with aches and pains after a proper firefight. Add to that his late night investigating and he didn't feel like getting up at all, after all he only had about three hours sleep. But then he realised he needed to talk to Shepard about what he found out last night and needed to go over the evidence again just to make sure he read it correctly. He groaned out of bed and dragged himself to the showers. He made sure to get up before most of the morning shift got to the showers, being the only Turian aboard meant he had to share the same facilities with the other human males aboard. He was no xenophobe, just that there are some images he preferred not to have burned into his mind, and was sure the crew felt the same way. Besides, a quiet hot shower will help him clear his head and wake up properly. And he had all the hot water to himself.

After the shower he felt ready to take on the day, and started by going through the previous night's evidence while sitting at the mess hall table, while eating one of his dextro-energy bars with a cup of dextro-coffee. Even though he was looking at the information through fresh eyes, it all came to the same conclusion; and he was sure there was no way anyone could falsify not just an ID, history and documentation that were stored on actual physical paper hardcopy as well as electronic versions in archives, but also make the real items they found on her to look like they were made the other year with some usage wear and tear, with the methods of nearly two hundred years ago. Why would anyone go through so much trouble to fake an identity just to be made into an experiment and crash landed into a desert planet and nearly starve to death? The only way they would know for sure now was to get the answers from the source….. gently….before Chakwas gives him another concussion. Just thinking about it made his head hurt again.

Shepard immerged from his captain's quarters just as the first Alliance crewmembers were beginning to file into the mess hall for breakfast. Garrus got up and headed straight for him, intending to show him all that he found. The Commander saw him approaching and greeted him with a nod of his head. "Commander, I would like to discuss my findings with you if you have a moment." Garrus said as politely and professionally as possible, not giving away his confused state of mind.

"Morning Garrus, I was just about to ask you if you had read the doctor's report yet. Please come in to my office." And he gestured past him to his desk and chairs.

"Thank you Commander" he replies as he steps past Shepard and moves to take his seat. Once the door closed and Shepard took his own seat at his desk, Garrus drops his act and lets out a heavy sigh, putting his head in his hands with his elbows on the table, and then rubbing his hands down his face to look up.

"You all right Garrus?" Shepard asked with concern in his voice.

"No… Not really. No matter how much I look at it or from what angle; the conclusion is the same. Which is frankly bordering the line being absurd and science theories." He quickly sends Shepard the files he received along with his interpretation of it, highlighting the pieces he found important. Not waiting to be asked to explain himself, he just continues "Besides what we already found on her, the archives sent us a folder on her. The ID's match as far as we can tell without a DNA comparison sample from the time. She is…or was a genuine person. Up until she just disappeared, police reports and even a few newspaper articles state that it seemed like she just upt and left the house on that Saturday. She was alone at home for most of the day so anything could have happened, according to the statement of her fiancé. She also has an actual paper photo of him in her wallet, and it matched that of his file from the time."

He took a breath to steady himself before he continued "Originally the local police believed it to be a kidnapping, but with no ransom note, fingerprints, stolen items or signs of a struggle or forced entry; and eventually no phone ransom, they believed she had ran away from home seeking a new life. Eventually with no body being found or any reports of her being sighted after a few years, she was declared dead. All that was found missing of her was her phone, wallet and personal identification. Exactly what we found on her. The only evidence they found that didn't make sense was a scorch mark outside the house with a half burned duvet in a basket, that seemed to have been caused by lightning… on a supposedly cloudless day." He continued to explain a few more details like her groceries still being on the kitchen counter, work still left unfinished on the computer and a few other things that pointed to her not having just run away. He then continued to the medical evidence that she was from the Earth's twenty-first century based on molecular make-up and dental records. After the deluge of information, the Commander seemed as concerned and confused about what it meant, just as Garrus felt the night before.

"So you are telling me that it has to be true from all the evidence we found?" revering to her being some sort of time traveller.

"Pretty much. And the only one with a clue of what really happened is still out cold and recovering." He points over his shoulder with a thumb talon towards the Medbay's direction.

"It's pretty hard to digest all this Garrus, what makes you so sure it's true?" the Commander asks, still sceptical.

"Because it's the only consistent evidence I've been finding on her. Even if it doesn't say how it happened. And even if someone went through the shitload of trouble it would take to falsify all these documents and leave no paper trail to follow, and somehow manufacture all her artefacts to look like pure originals that are only a few years old and worn; there is no motive behind it, not unless they were planning on taking a chance of their infiltrator dying before we got to her, not to mention the obvious experiments done on her." Garrus hadn't realised he was slowly raising his voice and by the end of it was only short of shouting his frustrations at the Commander, not that he didn't believe or question Garrus as much as him not being able to believe he himself was believing such an absurd notion as time travel and what this woman has lived through up until now. His thoughts flash back to some of Dr. Saleon's 'assistants' he questioned.

Sheppard looked at him when he finally finished his little rant. "All right Garrus, I believe you. I'll see how our guest is doing from the doctor and how her recovery is coming along. In the meantime, be prepared for going out on missions. We are still scanning every system in the Artemis Tau cluster until we find Dr. T'soni. Whenever Dr. Chakwas lets us in to question our guest we will deal with the information and question her then. For now, we still have a mission to complete, so I need you to stay focused." He dismisses Garrus with a nod and seems genuinely to believe in what Garrus has just suggested.

Nodding in return and leaving, he still doesn't believe that anyone would believe it at all. He could just imagine how this meeting could have gone had it been Executor Pallin he needed to report it too. Then again, they were chasing a rogue spectre across the galaxy that wanted to bring back some mythical, god-like machine creatures that want to wipe out all life as they knew it from 50,000 years ago, so maybe this wasn't as farfetched an idea. But Shepard was right. They were here for a reason. And until he could get the answers he needed, he can at least focus on the big picture and stop staring at this one thing. He then remembered that he left the Mako in a state of half repaired, cursing quietly to himself that he would leave something half done that they might need soon today; making his way down the elevator so he could finish at least one piece of work he started.

Karin was just astounded, how could this happen over-night and right under her staff's noses? Didn't they compare their results? She kept scanning the patient again and again as if it would give her a better answer, but the results were always the same. "Does someone care to explain how our patient is half healed with barely one night of bed rest?" Nobody had an answer for her on that one other than they only checked her vitals to make sure she was stable, not the rate of healing on the first night, even with the regeneration units covering most of her body. She couldn't fault them. You only checked on healing progress after at least a few hours for some sort of effect to have taken place at all. She decided not to let the Commander know yet, as she wanted to try and find out how this was possible in the first place.

Just then the Medbay doors slide open and the Commander walks in, obviously not injured so he must be here for an update. "Good morning Commander. What can I help you with today?" she asks in her usual cheery voice.

"Not much today doc, just checking in to see how our patients were doing." He starts nonchalantly

"Well, Tali made a full recovery and is already back in engineering helping Adams, but I would advise that she be kept on light duties until her concussion is completely healed." She says with cheer in her eyes, but then turns serious. "But our guest seems to be able to regenerate to some degree, not as good as a Krogan but fairly close; and we don't know how or why it only seemed to kick in now."

This got Shepard's attention "Wait, did you say regenerate like a Kogan? Is that even possible?"

"It's not supposed to be possible for a human to have such extensive regenerative capabilities. And yet, somehow she can; without any evidence of alteration in that regard. I'm starting to wonder what the other experiments they did to her were that we actually have evidence for on the scans; if they were able to do something like this without leaving any obvious traces. I also do not have the specialised equipment to track gene modification in such detail, nor the biotic scanners to see if her system is adapting to the seemingly implanted nodes, and then there are some anomalies that even my scanners can't discern what they are. Quite honestly the scans raised more questions than answering them." She dropped her hands to her sides in quiet frustration. This poor girl must have endured so much from these experiments. She might possibly not be sane anymore.

"Right…that doesn't sound good if even you're disheartened Chakwas. You think we should get her scanned thoroughly next time we are at the Citadel?" came Shepard's concerned question. This woman will probably need more detailed attention if any of the facts he has been getting are true.

"I would recommend it Commander." Sheppard opened his mouth to ask another question, but she answered it before he could voice it "And at this rate she might be awake by tomorrow. Maybe asking a few questions will not be absurd, but I will ask medical questions first; and then if I believe she can handle more, you may ask a few question of your own. Start preparing them now, you might only get the chance for a few as I have no idea what effect this rapid rate of healing is having on her system."

Shepard decided it's best to just nod and dismiss himself. It seemed like they had a Pandora's Box on board and he was afraid of what might happen when they started to open it. But they needed answers, all of them needed answers now. He decided he would not tell the Council about this development until he had more solid proof of anything. They barely believed him before, why would they take his word for it now…

The Mako was finally fixed. It took more of a beating than Garrus originally thought and it took him the whole day, but it's done. They were going to Therum next and were due to arrive in the morning. Also their mystery guest might be awake by tomorrow if Chakwas' estimates were correct. From what he heard it was quite the nightmare to try and predict anything with her. The doctor had some …complications… as she put them, with the patient; but wouldn't tell him any more than that.

He sighed to himself and decided it's better to just go to sleep and see what the morning brings. Besides, he could already hear Wrex snoring from here; it was probably late and he could use a full nights rest. He can worry about these things in the morning.

 _Pain….. so much pain…. scalpels … needles… poking….. prodding… strange and alien faces. Then death and destruction. People and places and things I don't know, but somehow remembered. All flashing… then this snipit, then that snipit…. Not making sense….. then…..quiet and darkness…. Quiet for a long time ….can I rest now? Is it over? Or will I wake up to a new nightmare? Alone in a cold desert slowly starving and dying of thirst? Should I dare open my eyes? …. Yes. The desert is quiet and no death and other pain…. I know pain, can deal with it, but not this pain…._ She slowly tries to lift an eyelid, but they feel like they are made of solid lead. She slowly becomes aware of a soft beeping noise close to her. It sounds like a heart monitor. Is she in a hospital? Is she saved? She can't remember, her memories and dreams had become so blurred she could hardly tell what is reality any more. She has to figure out at least where she was, and forces all her remaining energy into opening at least one eye.

She gives a soft groan and the beeping increases slightly. At first her eye is flooded with white blinding light and she squints, but she adjusts in a few seconds and stares as a white roof above her slowly comes into focus. _A white roof! No pod or wreckage and sand, but a roof! Someone must have found me!_

She turns her head to the side and opens her other eye, groaning again as her muscles protest at the movement; the world is blurry for a few more seconds and she could see someone coming to her bedside and kneeling down to her. When her focus cleared up, it's an older woman with green eyes, short grey hair with some kind of grey tunic and a lovingly warm smile on her face. When she speaks, it's in a British accent. "Ah, glad to see you made it. We were worried about you a few times. How are you feeling?"

 _I….. I understood her, and she was nice! First time in ….. who knows how long! Wait, she asked a question, should probably answer… or try…._ "Th….thirsty" came her voice in a hoarse croak. Even she was surprised that it was so shaky and dry. But the older woman seemed to smile at her none the less.

"I will get you some water, but don't move too much; your body is still recovering." She turns and heads to a counter with a glass in her hand.

 _Did she say still recovering?_ She tried to move all her limbs one at a time and was rewarded with a jolt of pain in her left shoulder, her ribs, hips and right leg; making some of the equipment beep in protest to her movement. _Pain is good right? Means I'm still alive and the limbs are still there._ By this time the woman had returned with a glass of water in hand.

"Please stop moving dear, let me help you get up and have a drink." The woman quickly let the bed rise her up to a sitting position and then held the glass at her mouth where she greedily but slowly took gulps of water, feeling the immediate relief in her dry throat. "There, that feels better doesn't it. Now let's try that again, how are you feeling dear?" The woman asks her again in a friendly and warm tone.

She thinks to herself for a moment, her pains are the obvious problems when she moved, so she must mean besides that. "Scared…hungry….disorientated…. a little sore. Where am I? Who are you?" came Christine's answers. It seems to have taken the woman aback a bit by some of what she said or just the sudden amount of answers and questions in one breath, she wasn't sure why but hoped to get at least these two questions answered.

The woman seems to think for a bit before she answers though, that made Christine nervous. "You are safe here, you don't need to be scared anymore. As for food I'll arrange some for you. And as for where you are, you are in the Medbay of the Alliance vessel the Normandy. We saved you from the planet Edolus two days ago. And I'm Dr. Chakwas, head medical physician here." The doctor speaks in a calm professional manner so as to try and elate her fears and she does feel better.

However that does leave her with a few more questions and her brow furrows down in thought, but she decided she would wait with more questions for now. Everything around her looked familiar and yet strange at the same time. Hell she knew she flew in a spaceship before and crash landed somewhere but was still not sure of the concept or how any of this even happened. She needed to think logically about it…and her head hurt. "Got a light headache, apart from sore limbs. How bad is it doc?" she decided she needed to know what her physical condition is before she even tried to figure out what is going on.

"Well you had a broken leg, hip, ribs, a gunshot wound through your left shoulder and a mild concussion." The doctor states while pointing towards each injury, she would rather not mention the rest of her findings yet. She needed to know if her patient was stable enough to handle the information first. "So, what is your name dear? I'm afraid we couldn't find you on our system."

"Ch-Christine, Christine Kruger." She answers without thinking. Would she even be on any system? Then the thought occurred to her. "Didn't you find my bag with me? My ID and everything was in there."

This seemed to make the doctor frown in thought. "Yes we did find it, I kept it in a secure drawer along with your other personal belongings and clothes. But you still were not on our system. In fact all your items seem to be severely outdated." She watched her patient intently now for her reaction.

Christine's face went pale and her yaw dropped, she couldn't even get the words out, opening and closing her mouth a few times like a grounded fish. What do you say to that? _Outdated?!... what… how….. can it be? Is that what happened?_ A few machines around her started to increase their beeps as her heartrate rose. She just sat there in stunned silence, staring at nothing.

"Hhmmm, I will have to add this to my report. Please make yourself comfortable while I get you some food." She forced a smile, and left the side of her bed. She had no idea how to handle this delicately, where in any training manual do they prepare you to deal with someone that has come forward in time? She could help her with the loss, many a soldier and civilian had lost everything and everyone they knew while under her care, but never this. And no doubt the Commander will want a report that she is awake now. For now Chakwas can only make her comfortable and take care of her physical needs. From behind her she heard a barely audible reply that stopped her in her steps.

"What year is it?"

Therum was brutal. Swarms of Geth of all shapes and sizes seemed to be around every corner, and to top it all off they had to fight a Krogan Battlemaster as well and then escape a collapsing and exploding volcano! Things sure were interesting around the human spectre. Luckily Wrex and Wiliams helped a lot at mowing down enemies, but even Wrex didn't come out without a few scratches. Garrus got shot in the shoulder too, but he didn't think it was that bad so went to the debriefing first instead of the Medbay. Besides the Commander was also walking with a bit of limp, even if he was trying to hide it, and he didn't go yet so he could bear with it. His wound had stopped bleeding in any case. At least they got the Asari doctor out safely.

After the briefing he, the Commander and the Asari all headed to the Medbay, Wrex saying he regenerates fast enough and Williams not having taken any serious damage. Chakwas had reported that their guest was awake and the Commander wanted to add her information to the report to the Council. Maybe now they could get some clarity to her situation at last.

Garrus was the last to enter and he saw that the woman was lying with her eyes closed on the farthest bed from the door. He didn't know if she passed out again or if she was actually sleeping. If she was, the commotion of all the people here will wake her up anyway. He turned on his visor's modded scan and set it to record. This will be the final and most important piece of evidence for the case, and he wanted to make sure he had the proof to back it up.

"You can't seem to stay out of trouble for long can you Commander?" was the doctor's sarcastic remark, at which the Commander just smiled sheepishly, shrugged his shoulders and began giving her the rundown of what happened and who the Asari is. They were interrupted by a sudden gasp and commotion of both someone almost falling of a bed and protesting machines from their conversation. When they looked up, the woman they rescued had huddled herself in the corner, hands stretching onto the wall as if she might fall over even though she was sitting down, eyes wild with fear and darting between him and the Asari, breathing hard enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"Easy dear, don't worry, their friends, no one's going to hurt you." Dr Chakwas tried to soothe the girl into relaxing but she seemed fixated on the aliens in the room. Another clear sign of what she was afraid of, she has never seen them before and all the readings on his visor were nearly in the red. But then her gaze fixed only on Garrus and she pointed a shaky hand at him.

"Y-you! ...You look like him! Don't you dare come close to me or I'll…..I'll..." her shaky voice trailed off looking for something, grabbing the nearest pointed instrument and holding it in her shaking hand, pointed at him.

Garrus bit back a chuckle at the pointlessness of the gesture, this was not the time for laughter and he had a few questions about her statement. "Who do I look like?" he made sure he didn't take a step towards her though, he has seen similar reactions from colonist seeing a Turian for the first time; but never with this much fear or such a severe reaction. There was a reason behind it and it was more than the typical human fear of Turians after the First Contact War. However, Dr. Chakwas gave him a glare saying that now was not the time for these questions.

After a few seconds of no one moving or saying anything the woman spoke up, still holding up the medical instrument in a shaky hand. "I-I don't know what you just said, but you….You look like…. like the angry one, but he was silver, metallic and had machine eyes and parts, and the machines followed him. He told them to do experiments on me…" she seemed to be losing focus like she was drifting into a memory, slowly lowering the scalpel and looking far beyond them "…..pain…. so much pain…. They called him Saren, he told them-"

"Wait, you saw Saren!" Garrus said, taking an unconscious step towards her. This brought her attention back to him and she lifted her arm with renewed fear.

"NO! Stay away! ….. You -you stay away from me! I won't go through that again! I'm not a guinea pig! I swear I'll stab your fucking eyes out!" she was standing now yelling at them.

Dr. Chakwas intervened before the situation got even more heated, followed by everyone else holding up their hands in defence, trying to show her that they didn't intend to harm her. "No one is going to hurt you Christine!" shoving Garrus back, placing herself between the two. "You don't have to worry, your safe here from Saren; now can you can put down the scalpel please." She was pleading with the woman, trying to get her to calm down but she was having none of it and the stubborn Turian wasn't budging either.

"No….. No more….. I can't go through that again! I'll fight my way out if I have to!" she was frantic now, and somehow the heart monitor had managed to stay attached to her and was showing her dangerously elevated heartrate. On his visor he could see that all her stats were now at a dangerous level and still climbing, this was definitely not a faked reaction. But it didn't really register to him that _he_ was the trigger to the reaction and by staying here he was making it worse, he finally got his evidence.

This time it was Shepard that spoke up. "If he leaves, will you put the knife down?" still keeping his hands up but starting to move towards Garrus to help him leave.

But she was now definitely caught in a memory as she didn't even hear what he was saying, eyes going dark, distant and hollow; she started to crumple in a ball on the floor her words becoming frantic mumbling, sweat clearly running down her forehead, the scalpel barley held up still. "Can't…..I can't do that again….. closed in… I'm locked up… breathe… breathe … I can't breathe….Icantbreathe…Icantbreath" and before Chakwas could reach her she passed out on the floor, machines whining as she does.

"Commander, help me get her on the bed!" Chakwas ordered Shepard and he didn't hesitate to help get her on a Medbay bed; after which she shooed them out while her and her medical crew started to tend to their patient. After a few minutes one of the nurses came out with a few supplies and started to treat them for their injuries in the empty mess hall.

"What was that all about? Who is that woman?" Dr. T'Soni asked.

Shepard replied, giving her the whole story of how they found her and how they still didn't really know who she is and where she came from. Garrus added his new findings from his visor to their case file and told Sheppard about it as well after sending it to him. The conversation eventually lead to the three of them discussing the possibilities of how this was possible.

"Shepard, did you see the way she looked at me and Dr. T'Soni? Not only was it way more severe of a reaction than any normal human would have to seeing an alien for the first time, it was like she saw a ghost or a demon. Whatever Saren did to her must have been unbelievably traumatic. Makes you wonder what sort of sick experiments he was and still is conducting" Garrus wondered.

"I honestly have never seen such a reaction to an Asari before, we are generally well accepted by all the other races" Liara added in shyly, rubbing her one arm with her other hand; she also seemed hurt somehow by this reaction.

"That settles it then. There is no way that could have all been an act. It has to be true, no matter how it happened. Saren somehow got his hands on a human from the twenty-first century and performed some horrendous experiments on her, making her even hostile towards an Asari. Now the question is what do we do with her?" Shepard started pacing as he talked and at the end of it looked up at the other two. The question as clear on his face as his words were.

"Honestly Commander? I think the safest place for her would be on this ship, just like with Dr. T'Soni, Saren is after her and this is the best place to keep him from finding either of them. You might want to get a permanent Alliance psychologist for her though….. Can't imagine what it's like being brought forward in time, losing everything and everyone you know; she is just a civilian, not prepared for this like a soldier; add on to that being tortured by aliens you know nothing about and it's a wonder she still has a semblance of sanity really." Garrus said, but then another question hit him (probably the tenth one in just this conversation) "How do you think she escaped him? Found a Geth fighter and managed to pilot it to crash on a planet with a breathable atmosphere? That's quite a feat even for someone like you, let alone her."

Just as Garrus finished his question and Shepard started to shrug an answer, Dr. Chakwas exited the Medbay. "How is she Doc?" was the words that came from him instead.

"She had a panic attack but is stable now, I gave her a sedative so she can properly relax and heal up a bit more before she wakes up and becomes frantic again. I would also suggest that no aliens go into the Medbay unless they need serious treatment or until she can calm down enough around them. One of the nurses can always come and treat anyone in the dorms or their courters." Her tone went from sincere to concern "But she knows that she is displaced in time and I'm sure the full brunt of it still hasn't hit her Commander. She is going to be an emotional wreck for some time still." She turned her full attention towards Garrus with a stern and scornful expression. "And next time you decide to traumatise my patients further than they already are when you are clearly the cause, I will let your wounds fester and then use medical practices from her era on you to cure them. Do I make myself clear Vakarian?"

Garrus was stunned into silence before he got his mouth to function again "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry doctor, I wasn't thinking of that." He said with shame lining his sub-harmonics and hanging his head.

"Thanks anyway doc. We will have to keep a close eye on her mental condition then. I guess in a way a few of our questions were answered, and some of them might never be because I bet even she doesn't know what happened." Shepard sighed and ran his hand over his head, like others would do if he had longer hair than stubble. "This is going to be sooo much fun explaining to the Council." And he turned away from the group and headed for the CIC.

They all watched him leave, but Garrus was the one that spoke up. "There are very few things that I rank worse than filing useless reports, trying to convince the Council about the truth that is staring them in the face is one of those few." This got a chuckle out of everyone at least.

The Council were as pleased as ever about what Sheppard had done, glad for finding and saving Dr. T'soni but berated him for having to destroy the Prothean ruin for it. And then there was their civilian guest, of course they didn't believe him that she had come from the past, but at least they agreed that keeping her on the Normandy would be the best way of keeping her safe from Saren since at least it is obvious that he was after her. But they wanted a full and detailed medical report on her for the type of experiments that were possibly performed on her. Anything that might give them any clues as to what Saren is doing right now. Which meant they were now heading back to the Citadel where they could have access to the more specialised equipment.

 _Chakwas is just going to love this…._

_.

"Absolutely not! She is in no mental condition to be transported all over the Citadel for tests! She can barely handle the people and equipment in the Medbay! She will have a mental breakdown!" Chakwas was making it clear she was not budging on the subject. Council orders or not.

"I know how you feel about your patients' wellbeing doc, but this one is out of my hands. At least we have two days before we arrive at the Citadel, do you think we could prepare her for it somehow?" Shepard tried to reason with her, even though he would prefer to just take her standpoint on the matter, they needed any extra information they could get. At least medical tests were not supposed to cause mental instability on their own like questioning her past might.

Chakwas huffed a frustrated sigh with her hand in her hair before answering "I can try but can almost guarantee that that is too short a time to make much of a difference. The only way she is getting onto the Citadel is sedated, and for some of the tests it is preferable for her to be awake, so that won't work either." She knew she can't stop them. It's not Shepard's fault or choice after all. But she would make damn sure her protests were filed.

"I know doc, but it's out of my hands. At the very least we will get those tests done you also wanted done to get better information on her current condition." Shepard retorted sympathetically.

After a long inhale and even longer exhale she replied more calmly "Very well Commander. I will do what I can. I might have to illicit Liara's help with this though. Either by getting her use to aliens or by using her stasis field to get her on the Citadel without an incident."

"Good idea doc. I'll leave you to it then, and sorry again." Shepard knew all the 'sorry' in the galaxy wouldn't help but he was honestly sorry he had to make her do this. He just hopes their new guest, Christine her name was, would understand why they needed to do this.


	4. Chapter 4: Introductions

_So much death….. Screaming…. Is that me screaming? ….. no, its all the people that are dying, screaming, running… Machines… other machines…. Unstoppable… overwhelming…. Scorched Earth….A warning?... Wait… I'm home… everything as it was? Was this just one long bad dream? … No….the machines…. They're here….. My love!...No…. Leave him!...No!…. Don't hurt him!...NO!... It's all burning! No, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOO!_

She pulls upright from her bed, panting and covered in a cold sweat, machines beeping furiously at her elevated heartrate and breathing. She quickly glances around, figuring out where she was, putting a hand in her now mangled hair, stray strands sticking to the side of her sweaty face, but most still in a braid.

 _I'm….. still here….. no dream…. I'm in this space traveling mini hospital… In the future….. with aliens and machines….. It wasn't a dream… well…._ that _wasn't a dream…_

She knew she wouldn't get any more sleep that night, (or whatever they had on a space ship with no real night and day) so she sat up, pulled her legs up, wrapped her arms around them and rested her head on her knees, ignoring the protests of pain her body gave her from the movement. She knew she would be hit by the reality of it all soon, she could only fool herself for so long, thinking it was all a dream and that she would wake up at home with nothing out of the ordinary. And she now had time alone…. Time always did terrible things to her, too much time to think.

 _It's all gone….. They're all gone…. Mom, dad, Sis… My Love….. I'm all alone now…._

She tucked her face below her knees, hiding it from the world; letting all her emotions flood over and silently began to sob al the tears she has been holding back until now.

Chakwas came into Medbay in the morning, wondering to herself how she was going to break the news to the poor girl after the sedative wore off. She should still be out for a few more hours. But she didn't expect to see what she saw. Christine was wide awake, sitting on the bed with her knees tucked under her chin, eyes red from crying for a long time, even had dried tear crystals running down her cheeks. But that wasn't what got her attention, she looked completely emotionless, deadpan even, if not for her red eyes. She noted the doctor's entry into the Medbay by only looking in her direction, then continuing to stare straight ahead of her at nothingness. She was surprised to find her awake but then immediately worried for her wellbeing, asking an update from the night cycle nurse. The information she got wasn't much. She woke up in the early hours and sat crying for hours and wouldn't stop or talk to anyone. Chakwas knew this was only the start of the truth setting in on her, and returned to her friendly professional demeanour.

"Good morning dear, how are you feeling this morning?" she tried her most cheerful greeting, hoping to lighten her mood a little. Brooding over anything is never healthy.

But she didn't respond at all. She only moved her eyes towards the doctor and stared, still and emotionless with hollow, empty eyes; with the faintest glimmer of buried sadness.

Chakwas kept a smile on her face, hoping that at least showing her she has one friendly person here to help her, it would help alleviate her depression. "All right then, you don't have to talk if you don't want to. I'm going to run a few check-up scans on you, to see how you are healing." And she began to run her omni-tool over her. Christine's focus shifted from her face to the Omni-tool, and she could see something like awe and curiosity flicked behind her lifeless eyes, but it didn't last long. When she checked the readings, she was once again astounded, but didn't let it show. At this rate she should be fully healed by the time they reached the Citadel. Except for her malnourished state, that would take a while longer, but even her muscle tone had improved over night. "Well, you seem to be healing quickly, soon you'll be all clear."

Christine just gave a short huff through her nose for an answer, as if she didn't care in the least. Well, she might not right now. Might as well try and get her eased into what was coming. "Christine, there is something I need to tell you, we are going to take you to the Citadel, a space station, for more detailed scans to make sure everything is all right, because we found some anomalies on our scans. But that means you are going to come face to face with all sorts of aliens and equipment. Do you think you will be able to do that?" she looked into her eyes, to try and see any change or emotion that her features didn't portray.

But then she actually spoke "All right. I'll try." Even if it was a soft and sorrowful voice, trying to hide any emotion, to hear her speak up was a good sign, and she replied warmly to that "That's good dear, I can try and help you get a little more used to some of them, as we have friendly aliens on board?" she was now downright hopeful that the girl could recover emotionally as well as physically.

She hesitated before she gave an answer "As long as you're here, too, doc….." it seemed like she wanted to ask something else but decided better of it.

"Don't you worry dear, I'll be right here. I'm also going with you to the Citadel. I want to run the tests myself and make sure they treat you right."

"Thanks Doc" and a very small smile tugged at the edge of her lip before disappearing in the emotionless mask. "At least I have someone to help me in this crazy new world."

This gave Chakwas all the hope she needed to get Christine through this. "I'm just glad I can help dear. I'll start you off after you had breakfast." She gave her another warm smile and headed for the door to retrieve breakfast for both of them.

When she returned, Christine hadn't moved, but her eyes were, for the lack of a better term, less lost, maybe even a glimmer of hope. "Here you are dear, a nice omelette and toast. I've also been able to find you some new clothes in your size, so you won't have to feel so out of place." And she motioned to a neat pile of clothing that was on one of the counters.

"Thanks doc"

"You can call me Karin, Karin Chakwas." She said with a warm smile. "Now eat up before it gets cold, and then you can change. I will first introduce you to a very friendly young lady who is an Asari, and like you she is not associated with the military."

They ate in silence after that, but Christine nearly wolfed down the whole omelette in one bite, and Chakwas even asked for a double helping for her to help her get her strength up. After that she quickly gave her some privacy behind a curtain to dress in the typical brown colonial wear, while she went to fetch Dr. T'soni.

On their return, she could see the Asari was nervous. "Don't worry dear, she seems to be as shy and withdrawn as you are. You don't have to talk much, she just needs to get a bit use to seeing aliens before we hit the Citadel. I can't even imagine what would happen if we took her into a crowd of people if we didn't" Chakwas tried to lighten the mood. She knows that the young Asari didn't seem comfortable talking to the humans on board much.

"Thank you Doctor, but the last time she saw me she was terrified of me and pointing a knife at me. I think you can see why I am a little…. apprehensive about it." Came Liara's soft reply, rubbing her one arm and looking at the floor.

"You'll both do just fine, she has gotten over her initial shock at least; she was confused and scared when she saw you. But now she is more collected and understanding about it. Also I've activated my omni-tool translator for her, so she will understand what you are saying this time as well." She tried to put her mind at ease before they entered the Medbay.

Christine has returned to her Medbay bed, but was now sitting with her legs hanging over the edge of the bed, swinging them like a child and staring at the floor. Once they entered she looked up, saw them but didn't react other than to sit still. "Christine, this is Dr. Liara T'soni, our resident Asari and Prothean expert." They both gave each other a respectful nod in greeting, but neither spoke, so Chakwas decided to invite Liara to a seat close to the bed. She followed the suggestion, and Christine didn't move away nor look at her with obvious fear, but followed their every move with her eyes.

After a short awkward silence, Christine decided to speek up "So…. You're an Asari. I saw one like you with Saren, your faces look very much the same. Do all Asari look that much alike?" She hoped her question wasn't offensive. But this was part of why they were doing this wasn't it? That she could get to know the different types of aliens out there and not embarrass herself or the others, or worse, insult someone by staring. She needed to know a few basic things about each species at least. Well at least those they have on board. Both doctors looked stunned for a moment and she wondered if she crossed the line.

Liara was the first to speak up "How much the same did she look? Asari are not known to all look that alike in facial features." Her voice was soft but sounded like she was concerned, her face looked it too, but how should she know if that is what it was? So she decided to try and keep her tone neutral and answer truthfully to everything. "If you were human I would say you were related, but she looked older than you, and she wore a black hat or headdress thing that covered everything around her face." But this just seemed to stump them more. _Great, my first proper conversation with an alien and I insult them._

But the reply she got was not a reprimand at all "Then you saw my mother, Matriarch Benezia, I'm sure of it. That means she truly has joined Saren…." That last statement seemed like it was more meant for herself than the people in the room. Hhmmm, maybe aliens are more like humans than she thought, or at least the Asari are. She started to relax a bit and started with more general questions on the Asari. And so their conversation continued for a while, Dr. Chakwas helping out every now and then when either of them didn't understand something, but other than the Asari being all female and blue with tentacle hair, she felt like she was having a normal conversation with any other person. Maybe those she met at first were an exception? Liara seemed like a nice person after all. She allowed herself to give a weak smile and feel more at ease. This isn't so bad.

Chakwas was glad when she saw Christine smile and become more relaxed. This might just work after all, it even seemed like she and Liara were getting along. That was beyond her expectations for the girl, wondering how else she would surprise her in the days to come.

Once the questions about Asari were dealt with, each of them started to ask more about the other's life. They found out that Christine is/was actually a Geology student in her final year of her Masters degree, _was_ 25 years old and they joked at how she is now about the equivalent in Asari age as well, and lived in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It was then that she noticed the girl fiddling with something on her finger, a ring… what seemed like an engagement ring. _Oh, dear…_ but before she could change the subject Christine continued her train of thought.

"I was engaged…. Steve and I….. we….. were to be married next summer…" the mood fell through the floor at that moment and everyone went silent. Christine just stared at the floor, trying very hard not to let the tears show. Liara and Chakwas gave each other a concerned and sorry look, Liara even brought her hand to her mouth to silence the gasp that escaped her, but no one spoke.

"I think you have had enough for now Christine, get some rest. Liara will be close by in any case, she is moving into the small lab and store room just on the other side of the Medbay, you two can chat any time you want." Chakwas said. This just reminded her that no matter how good her progress is, her mental scars are still raw. Both Liara and Christine nodded, Liara getting up to retrieve her few possessions while Christine just lay down on her side on the bed, with her knees pulled up to her chest, obviously hiding tears that are threatening to make an appearance. Before she could turn to leave, Christine stopped her.

"Hey doc,… can I … get a history lesson or book or something of what happened in the world… er, Earth and the rest of the Galaxy? I would like to know." She asked in a shaky voice. A method of distraction if Chakwas ever saw one.

"Of course dear, I'll get you some access to a terminal with extranet so you can read all you want." She said with the most sincere smile she could.

Chakwas quickly went in search of Shepard. She found him talking to Garrus in the hold. She made sure he knew she was there and allowed him to excuse himself from his conversation. "Commander, I have a few things to discuss about our guest."

"Let's go up to my office then." He replied and she followed him. Once in the Commanders Office/ quarters she just waited for the door to close before she gave him her report.

"Commander, she is healing faster than I anticipated and seems to have a tolerance to the sedative I gave her. She is supposed to still be out, but she woke up some time early this morning already; which is amazing since the dose was enough to keep even you knocked out till lunch time." She took a breath and saw the Commanders surprised expression.

"That's quite a feat for someone that was that injured, even with the unexplained regenerative capability. But there is more than that isn't there doc?" Shepard asked, he was no halfwit brute after all, the doctor wouldn't ask to talk to him in private if that was all she wanted to discuss.

"Yes, there is Commander. She seems to be dealing with her change in scenery fairly well; to the point of her and Dr. T'soni having a decent conversation." She stated calmly.

"That's great news doc, isn't it?" Shepard had a feeling that there is about to be a 'but'….

"But as soon as her past is brought up, she seems to sink back into depression. In particularly the fact that she was engaged and would have gotten married within a few months after her disappearance….. I would advise interactions with her to refrain from that topic until she can see a psychologist on the matter. It would be her best chance of dealing with her grief without it turning into full blown depression." Chakwas my by trained to identify serious psychological problems in her troops, but that doesn't mean she can always treat it.

"Hmmm, I see your point doc. Maybe we should book her a session on the Citadel for when she is done with the medical test, preferably human. I'll find out if there are any Alliance on duty there to have a look at her, and then they can stay in touch for follow up session via comlink."

"That would be my recommendation Commander, I can only do so much for her, and she will need long term help with this." The sympathy was clear in her voice, as she turned and was about to leave "Oh Commander, she remembers seeing Matriarch Benezia with Saren, and she requested access to catch up on everything that happened to Earth and in the Galaxy. It would be a good idea to give her something to do while she has to wait. Too much time with nothing to do is almost as bad as talking about what pains her."

"Alright doc, give her access to a terminal with civilian extranet access only. That should be enough to keep her busy for a while. And see if you can't get her to interact with more of the crew, alien or not. She will be surrounded by people on the Citadel."

"Yes Commander." And she turned out of the door and left.

Christine spent the rest of the day meeting some of the human crew instead, and asked questions on what the galaxy is like now and where they came from. None of them asked about her past though. Might be that the doc told them not to, she decided. Not that she minded at all, talking to people was at least distracting her not to think about it herself; but she was getting tired and irritated at it by now. She wasn't _that_ social after all. Liara had moved into a room at the back of the 'Medbay' as they called it, but was out right now. So when Chakwas left with the last of the crew she had met, Ashley her name was, Christine breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finaly….. I don't like being forced to meet people…. And hate being cooped up like this" she mumbled to herself. She turned her attention to the terminal on the desk Chakwas set up for her. It looked so strange, holographic keyboard interface and orange screen. She would like to think they would have more of a 3D screen with true colours, as they called it back home, this far in the future. The screen did show colours when she looked for pictures but it all looked plain. _Guess military hardware didn't call for fancy frills._ She thought as she started her 'history lessons'.

Her searches were becoming more wide spread, covering the different races and their histories as well, what she didn't notice was that she was going through everything faster, and faster; not even feeling the small sparks between her fingers and the keyboard, almost directly interfacing her with the terminal without having to type anything. Her focus was so intent on the screen, the world around her went blank and she didn't notice when her head dropped and the images continued in her head, passing at the speed at which she was downloading all the knowledge she came across.

Chakwas returned an hour after to the Medbay, she figured Christine had enough of the 'talking to people' part when she became irritated. She didn't let it on verbally, but her body language said it. But when Chakwas came back, she was slumped over the terminal. A soft but sad smile came to her features at the sight.

 _Poor girl, she must be exhausted after all this and yet she pushes herself to find out what happened and what is going on in the galaxy. Probably fell asleep without even noticing she was tired. Might as well wake her and move her to a bed, even if it is only dinner time._

Chakwas came next to her and put her hand on the girl's' shoulder to gently wake her, but instead get a shock that made her pull back out of reflex, and she saw brief images in her head about the council races and their biology. Things she hadn't viewed in this way since her days at medical school, diagrams with explanations. Confusion crossed her features as to why that happened and why she was shocked at all, it wasn't like a normal static shock. That is when she noticed the small sparks shooting between Christine's hand and the terminal, while her head remained motionless.

"Oh my…., What's happening!" she tried to pull her away from the terminal this time, but just got another shock, this time enough to make her step back, leaving her with more images of medical charts, but this time of the non-council races. An idea came to her in her frantic thinking on what to do right now. "Engineer Adams, shut down power to the Medbay right now! We have an electrocution in progress and I can't pull her away!"

A stunned male voice came over the speakers "Aye, mam!" before the Medbay went dark. Chakwas turned on her Omni-tool flashlight and was relieved when she saw the terminal was off and that Christine wasn't convulsing in spasms like she was expecting. Quickly she moved her away from the terminal just as Liara came from her room, pushing the door open manually with the emergency latch.

"What happened? Why is the power out?" came her frantic voice, thinking they might be under attack to lose power.

"She was being electrocuted by the terminal, I couldn't touch her and had to ask the engineer to shut it down. Help me get her on the bed. Adams! You can put the power back on now! I need to scan her!"

A short "Yes, mam!" came over the speakers and the lights and equipment came back online with a hum. The light blinded the both of them, but they had just started to set Christine down on the bed so they kept their eyes open enough to complete the movement. By the time that was done her eyes had adjusted enough for her to activate the scanner. Her Omni-tool could have given her a quick result, but she knew that she would need a detailed scan in order to see past some of the anomalies in her nervous system.

"Is she going to be alright?" Liara asked concerned.

"She only seems to be unconscious right now, but the scan will tell me if there is any underlying damage." She didn't know herself what just happened or what the consequences of that is just yet. The results however just served to puzzle her even more. Her brain activity was off the chart, along with rhythmic pulsing of her entire nervous system, but with no muscle movement except for normal breathing and heartbeat. Within a few seconds all that activity disappeared and it only looked like she was sleeping. "What is going on with this woman? There is no president for what just happened. I-I don't think she has sustained any damage, it looks like her nervous system was in overdrive for a second but no other signs that anything happened at all."

Just as she finished her assessment, Shepard came storming in with a few of the medical personnel. "What happened doc? Adams told me there was an electrocution and he had to turn off the power. Are you all right?" concern was written all over his features.

"All seems to be all right now Commander. I couldn't pull her away from the terminal without being shocked myself. Once the power was out we pulled her away and the scans are normal now, it's just a question of when she will wake up again." Her calm, professional tone was laced underneath with concern and worry that told Shepard that there was more to it but she couldn't give an answer right now.

"That's good to hear. How did the terminal malfunction to electrocute her? It's a brand new ship after all." He answered instead of asking the question he wanted to.

"I have no idea, but I'll get one of the techs to come and have a look at it. But for now there is nothing you can do Commander. I'll inform you when she wakes up again."

"Thanks doc. I'll leave you to it then." Shepard made sure to give Chakwas a look that said he would talk to her about what happened later when the tech had checked the terminal. They both nodded at each other and went about their duties.

Several hours later, Chakwas came back after talking to Sheppard about her concerns from earlier, only to find the Medbay empty…..

Meanwhile in the Cargo bay:

Garrus was still patching up the Mako after their trip to Therum. The Geth got in a few good hits at them and since they were headed back to the Citadel now, there was enough time for a full overhaul. You know, to make sure that everything was working 100% by the time they needed it again. Maybe even try to squeeze a bit of extra performance out of its weapons calibrations. In times like these he often just brought his food down from the mess hall and ate as he worked. This time it was one of his pre-packed sandwiches he bought for himself before they left the Citadel. Those things could last for a few weeks if frozen and treated right. It did take away at the taste but at least it's better than only having dextro-military rations. It being a human ship and all, he wasn't sure what kind of food they would have for him. He came back out from under the Mako to switch a few tools and take another bite of the sandwich when he realised that it was gone along with his bottle of water. Looking around, he didn't see it anywhere either, and no-one would be stupid enough to take his food, even Tali, the Quarian wouldn't touch his food if she didn't sterilise it herself.

That's when the unfamiliar scent hit him. A faint scent of flowers, citrus and some other sweet fruit, almost overpowered by antiseptic. It was late so all the Alliance crew were already in their night cycle, while he and Wrex were the only ones to sleep in the hold. Wrex was already passed out by the sound of the snoring he heard from behind the crates, so someone was sneaking around to play a prank on him.

He got up and started following his nose to one of the service tunnels that criss-crossed the ship; also noting that his visor had not picked up anything, not even a heat signature. He heard a soft gasp as he got closer. No human would have heard it, but his heightened Turian senses picked it up even over Wrex's snoring. As he bent down to look down the access ladder he caught movement in the barely lit tunnel, and heard someone scrambling away as quietly as they could. Whoever they were, they were pretty good at sneaking around.

"Hey! I know you're down there, enough with the games. Come out and give me back my sandwich." he yelled impatiently down the hole. But the only response he got was another gasp and now he could hear an increase in heartrate as well. That meant they were still close. Seeing as they didn't answer or come out, he sighed to himself and started climbing down the ladder, mumbling to himself about how this was probably a dare or that the humans wanted to get on his nerves. Things like this happened in C-Sec as well, especially with new rookies, so he didn't think much of it.

Once he was in the small crawl space and his eyes adjusted to the lower light conditions, he could hear someone scrambling away further down the tunnel. He followed suit in what was a bit cramped space for him but probably ok for humans. Once he caught up with the sound at a dead end he saw someone curled up in a ball in the dark at the end of the tunnel. Obviously they took a wrong turn and were now trapped. "Got you trapped now! The game is up, now give me back my stuff." He started moving closer only to finally see who it is. He froze in his step as she squirmed to stay as far from him as she could. It was Christine, their rescued guest, and the last time she saw him she was terrified of him…. and threatened him. He needed to handle this one carefully….. before he ended up making her more scared. He silently cursed himself for the way he treated this thus far.

"Hey." He said in a softer voice, sub-harmonics humming with comfort and concern. "Shouldn't you be in the Medbay? What are you doing here?" that's when he got tossed with his half eaten sandwich and empty water bottle. He caught both on reflex and noted that there was a human shaped bite on his food. Coming to the realisation that she doesn't know about their dextro-diets he almost panicked. "Dr. Chakwas, our friend took a bite from my food; she hid herself in the service tunnel by the Mako. Get a medical team down here stat!" he quickly said into his radio. The doctor gave him a quick and relieved reply "Their on their way." He then looked at her frightened form and tried to reassure her but also inform her of what just happened. "Hey, don't worry. The Doc will be here shortly, you ate some of my food and humans can't eat our food. But its ok, they'll get you sorted out quickly."

He noted she still hasn't moved or said a word, and was beginning to worry if she wasn't in shock already, and started to move closer to see if he can get a better look at her. "Hey, are you ok? Talk to me, I'm not going to hurt you." But when he got closer to her he got a swift kick in the face, weak, but it was too fast for him to react in the tight space.

"Stay away from me! You got your stupid food back! Now leave me alone!"

"Ow! Watch it! I just want to help you, you stupid human, before you die of shock and an allergic reaction!" it wasn't such a hard blow but it still stung as he rubbed his mandible with his hand.

"I don't know what you're saying but you better stay back!" came her shrill reply and suddenly it all made sense to Garrus. She must still not have a translator, that's why she didn't respond to him when he called her out from the deck. Just then he heard footsteps on the grating above and knew it was the medical staff he called for. That elevator was so damn slow. He began to crawl out of the tunnel so that the medical staff could get her out, she sure as hell wasn't going to let him get closer to her. He probably could subdue her if he needed to but he didn't need to add to her already traumatic mental state.

Once he was out, the medical staff clambered in as he added, "She doesn't have a translator so I couldn't get her to come out." they nodded and headed down and soon emerged with one frail and scared looking human woman. Once the scans were done he heard one of the medics say softly "She isn't having any reaction at all, she will be ok."

Garrus gave a sigh of relief as they guided her to the elevator. But he noted she didn't want to go really, followed by mumbles of something of being locked up in the same room or they should stop pushing coz' her legs were still a bit sore and that she was hungry. She didn't look in his direction so he couldn't be sure of all of it, but realised an irritated voice from humans by now. He still didn't know how she was able to slip by him or get out of the Medbay without the ships' security systems noticing her in the tunnels. Come to think of it, his visor didn't pick her up either, not until she knew he found her. She wasn't wearing any shield or sensor disruptor that he knew of. But he could pick her up just fine now on thermal and motion sensors. Odd… something was just off about it all, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He was just glad she wasn't going to die from eating his sandwich right now.

The rest of the evening went by uneventfully as he finished the Mako, and then went to bed. The back of his mind still milling over what had happened and how she was able to evade scanners. He finally settled on that the medical scans will show what the anomalies were on her and that would help explain a lot of the things they all still had questions over.

After yet another eventful evening with their guest, Chakwas stationed a nurse to keep an eye on her overnight. In the morning when she came into her Medbay, she was startled at the sound of music playing. The stationed nurse quickly explained that Christine was up early in the morning with a nightmare and got out one of her archaic devices and started listening to music on earphones with wires, and upon asking what she was listening to, she promptly pulled out the wires and the music has been playing since then. Chakwas thanked the nurse and dismissed her after going through the night's report. The music in the background was soothing and soft but in a language that her translator didn't recognise the whole time unless it was in English.

Finally Chakwas decided to ask her "So what kind of music is this and who is singing?"

"It's Enya and think the language is Celtic. Helps me calm down and relax." She answered in a calmer tone than what she had since arriving here, so it obviously worked. But what followed surprised and stunned Chakwas.

"I'm sorry for sneaking out yesterday. I just wanted to be alone and get out of this room that I've been stuck in. I don't do well when confined for long periods of time under stress….." she paused and seemed to think her next words over carefully "Who…. Who was that yesterday, the… Turian I think it was? I owe him an apology as well." Christine asked with sincerity in her eyes. "And I think I'll need a translator of some sorts to do that, if I'm allowed one." Her face remained flat and emotionless, holding back all of the emotions that were still running rampant in her head.

Chakwas was silent for a few seconds, not believing that she could turn around over night and was now ready to apologise for it. Willing even to do it if the sight of Garrus made her scared. If that's not courage tempered with humility, she didn't know what is. "Yes, his name is Garrus Vakarian; and I'll arrange for him to come by a bit later if you want to tell him yourself, along with a standard translator which you'll need for when we go to the Citadel in any case. As for the sneaking out, I understand why you felt like you needed to, but please don't do that again; this is a warship after all." Chakwas tried to joke at that last bit to lighten her mood, but she just nodded and returned her earphones to her ears and then to the device, silencing the music and seeming to go into a trans of deep thinking. Chakwas then went ahead to arrange the things needed for the meeting, breakfast as well as getting her reports ready for the medical scans that afternoon.

After saying what she needed, Christine saw no reason to talk any more. The doctor probably had other work to do besides entertain her questions. So she decided to loose herself in her music, drowning out her emotions with the calm of the same peaceful songs. Time seemed to drag on for her, which made sense, she didn't have anything to do. She greeted the Asari, Liara, as she came out of her room and asked how come she understood each other when they met, she just explained that Dr. Chakwas had a translator program running for her from her omni-tool, and that she kept one active on her own omni-tool whenever she was in the Medbay. That was the extent of their conversation and Liara left. She knew that sometime later that day she will have to walk among a bunch of aliens and be scanned and prodded by a few as well. She did not look forward to it, but at least this time she isn't confined in a pod and her protests will be heard if she didn't like anything. That's a doctors code isn't it, don't do anything invasive without patient consent, at least she hoped it was something along those lines these days.

By the time she came out of her thoughts, a few hours had passed and Chakwas had given her breakfast and a translator. She then had a thought, she hasn't taken a shower in who knows how long! Chakwas must have washed her when she came aboard while unconscious, as she didn't have all the dirt from the crash, but still. She will be going out in public and although she had fresh clothes she didn't want any more reasons to draw attention to herself, she just wants to blend in and disappear in the crowds. "Doctor, can I please go have a shower before we go to this Citadel?"

The question seems to catch the Doctor off guard but she quickly turned around and answered with a smile "Of course my dear, you can go right now if you want. I'll arrange for one of the nurses to escort you there and back. It is a communal woman's shower just so you know, and there is an extra set of clothing for you as well." The doc responded warmheartedly.

"Thanks, I would like to go now please?"

"Very well then." She turned away and started to call in a nurse to escort her.

Oh the shower felt like heaven. _Who thought a shower could make such a difference.._ Her hair had still been tied in a braid this whole time. And since she didn't have any hair accessories to make anything other than a ponytail, she decided to just let it air dry as she also had no idea if they still used hairdryers in this age. _As they say, if you've got it flaunt it…..._ It seemed like such a trivial pleasure to indulge in, but any mood lifter right now is better than nothing. After her shower, she dressed in a similar brown overall pack than before. Nice and loose fitting, just the way she liked it.

After being escorted back to the Medbay, Doctor Chakwas took a second glance at her before she began talking "Nice long hair, but you might want to tie it up for the tests though." Christine just gives a sigh at that and promptly ties it in a tight bun. Once she was done she got given a translator, a very small device that fits snugly into the ear, which also doubles as a radio when activated and linked with an omni-tool or helmet. Once the basics were explained and it was activated, Chakwas explained the different scans and procedures they were planning, as well as the fact that she would be going with her. This made her give an inward sigh of relief. By the time the explanations were done, Christine knew she would be in for a long day, she wasn't sure what half of the tests really was for, but something at the back of her mind nagged at her like she actually knew what was explained. Thinking about it just gave her a headache though, so she just left it at that for now.

Some time passed after that in which Chakwas collected more datapads with information for the scans, when the doors opened with a hiss that broke the silence, both women looking up at the same time. Garrus strode in with a flat expression on his face, but Chakwas picked up on his subtle mandible twitch, implying he was uncomfortable but trying not to show it. _Poor thing is probably afraid of upsetting Christine again like the last time she saw him, but that's exactly why he was called in._

"You asked for me, doctor?" came his flanging voice, a little strained.

"Yes, but it was at the request of our guest actually." and she moves to gesture a hand for him to enter. It took him a few seconds to get the confused and stunned expression off of his face before he moved into the Medbay.

"Asked for me?" was all he could get out, still talking to Chakwas, and then glancing towards her. She hasn't moved since he entered, only following him with her eyes, and sitting quietly. But there was something else in her eyes except fear this time, but what exactly eluded him at the moment.

"Yes I did" she finally spoke up in a soft but flat tone, making him jump a bit. He obviously wasn't expecting for her to speak up just jet. She feels fear starting to well up in her chest again, threatening to constrict her throat before she could speak, but she presses on and swallowing down her nerves.

"I…I need to apologise to you…" but this just seemed to baffle the Turian even more, so she quickly tried to explain herself. "I took your food without asking, then ate some of it, yelled at you and threw it in your face; kicked you when you came too close and all you wanted to do was help me." She babbled on nervously "I shouldn't have tried to run in the first place, and I kicked you in the face….. so ….Sorry for all that.." she finally manages to get out, staring at the floor. _Gawd, that's so stupid…. He probably thinks I'm the biggest idiot in the galaxy right now. Why am I so afraid of him anyway? It's not like he_ is _that Saren guy after all._

The Turian, however, just looks dumbfounded, jaws slack but not agape and mandibles hanging a bit. He stares at her a few seconds, then to the doctor and back to Christine, getting his composure and finally addressing her directly. "You're not afraid of me anymore?"

Christine hesitates a second, then answers in a soft and timid voice "I still am…. But you're not him, you're not Saren. So I shouldn't be. But I'm trying, by talking to you…. Is that ok?" she asks, still not looking up at him.

"Look, you don't have to say sorry. You've been through a lot, we all understand this is hard on you. I'm just glad you didn't have a bad reaction when you ate my food. And yes talking is fine." He says in a calm and understanding tone. She though she heard some sort of hum underneath his words but wasn't sure what it was."And, just for the record, you shouldn't eat Turian food. Wrong chirality. Normally people get an allergic reaction that might be fatal you know."

Christine scoffs a small laugh and lifts the one edge of her mouth in a smile, finally looking up at him. "Thanks." She manages to say.

"No problem."

She began to relax a bit after this and they started to talk about everything and nothing. She actually enjoyed his witty comments and jokes, even gave a few back. _See, he isn't so bad. It's all in your head. You just met the bad aliens first, that's all._ He even seemed to enjoy talking to her, and she could see Chakwas smiling in the corner of her eye. Maybe this whole thing will go better than her worst case scenario. After a few more minutes talking about their different cultures, he excused himself to get back to his work before they arrived at the Citadel. Christine felt a bit more at ease with him now and even smiled as he left, still nervous though; but glad she was able to talk to him in the same room now.

"Glad to see you are over the worst of your fear, Christine. You're doing a lot better than I thought you would by this point. It only makes it easier on you for when we reach the Citadel though, so I'm glad." Chakwas says with a smile. Christine just smiles back at her comment, not wanting to think what lies ahead and how she would handle crowds of aliens. She generally hated crowds of people and could get a little claustrophobic after longer periods of time in crammed areas like malls. She decided she would deal with it once they are there. Besides, there should be enough space for people to move around each other. Shouldn't there?

"Now there are still two more alien crewmembers you should meet, but you can meet them later as they are not common on the Citadel in any case. The Quarrian, Tali'Zorah nar Raya; and the Krogan, Urdnot Wrex. Although maybe you shouldn't meet Wrex just yet. Krogan are not the friendliest species to meet and are also not very talkative to start with. But you will see him eventually. Should I ask Tali to come by for a quick chat?" Chakwas asks.

Christine seems to think it over for a few seconds before answering. "How much time do we still have before we reach the Citadel?"

Chakwas seems to anticipate the reason for the question and answers accordingly. "Enough time for you to have a long chat. Two more hours actually." Followed by a warm smile. "I'll ask her to stop by soon so you two can have a decent chat."

But Christine responds differently than Chakwas anticipated, catching her by surprise. "No, that's ok doc. I think I should rest up my introductions for now. I'm a bit of an introvert and don't want to push it too far if I still need to meet a lot of people later. Besides, isn't it lunchtime now?"

Chakwas quickly changes her surprised expression to a more professional one. "Off course dear. And yes it is lunch time in about half an hour."

"Thanks doc. I'll keep myself busy with reading till then." And with a nod, she turns her attention to the terminal and starts reading about the different alien cultures. She is now very interested after her chats with the few crewmates on board. And it gives her something to do without having to talk to anyone while she waited, so a win-win in her opinion.


	5. Chapter 5: The Citadel

_**Hey. I'm posting earlier as a thank you to all the follows and nice reviews I got. I honestly didn't think people would like my story that much. Enjoy =^^=**_

The announcement over the PA system in the Medbay startled Christine because she was so deep into her reading that she shut the rest of the world out. "20 Minutes to docking, doc. Shepard said you should show our guest the view first." Came a male voice and she swear she could hear him smirking, though why she didn't know.

"Thanks Joker, we'll be right up." Chakwas replied. So his name is Joker? Huh. Wonder why.

"Who was that?" Christine asked curiously.

"Oh, that's Joker, our pilot. Or more accurately, Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Now come with me, I believe you will enjoy the view of the Citadel before we dock." A warm smile spread over her face and Christine returned it before they both headed out the door.

This was the first time she actually got to see more of the ship that wasn't from the service tunnels. It's a lot bigger than she thought. They headed through the mess hall and up the stairs to the CIC, as Chakwas informed her. Some of the crew turned and looked at her, but probably because she was the only one on board in civilian clothing. They didn't stare or say anything, merely acknowledging her and then returning to their duties. _Hmmmmm…. Strange. Maybe that's just their protocol? Anyway, doesn't matter._ They reach the end of a hallway of computer terminals to where the pilot seat is situated. But Christine didn't even look at the pilot or the controls as her attention was immediately drawn by the big windows.

The view of the Citadel was amazing! The five fingered station appearing from the purple haze of the nebula like a stag does from the mists in a forest. Beautiful and majestic. She was stunned into silence, only able to gawk at the sight. It took another couple of minutes to start to make out any details such as ships and the cityscape, but it just added to the amazing sight for her. She finally got words to exit her mouth by this point. "It's huge! And people live there? It's amazing!"

"Glad to see you can talk" came a voice from behind her. She turned around to see a man in his late twenties with a stubble beard and an Alliance cap. This must be the pilot, Joker, which Chakwas mentioned. The Doctor was standing in the hallway, smiling at her reaction but not saying anything.

"Hey" was her only response before she returned to the view before her. She can talk to him later when this view isn't so beautiful and captivating. Besides, he should probably concentrate on docking the ship and not idle chitchat in a few minutes.

"You don't talk much do you?" this seemed more like a remark than an actual question. "Well gawk all you want for now, just don't get in the way of my instruments. Besides, once we dock you can marvel at this beauty from the outside; the Citadel's got nothing on the Normany other than size." And he returns to his consoles and begins the docking procedures.

Christine looks at him quizzically for a minute, but decides she will see it soon enough. She had all her belongings with her in her small bag over her shoulder as per usual. Sheppard had said he didn't know what the council would decide to do with her once they went through her medical report, so she thought ahead and just brought it along, not like she had a whole backpack or suitcase full of stuff anyway. In the background she could hear Joker talking to someone on the radio, probably the traffic controller, and footsteps of several people approaching the airlock.

Once they were docked she turned to see who it was. It was Sheppard, the Turian, Garrus; along with a few of the crew she didn't recognise. "Come now Christine, this whole trip was for you, so we can't really leave the ship without you." Sheppard said jokingly.

"Don't even bother Commander, I don't think she has much humour or words between all the gaping at the scenery" Joker quipped while turning around in his seat.

While the others all gave a chuckle at this, Christine wasn't impressed at this remark. "Says the guy in love with the ship?" she shot back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oohh, she got you on that one Joker" Garrus added with another chuckle.

"Hey, the Normandy is the best damn ship in the fleet, and I'm the best pilot in the Alliance; we're a perfect fit for each other" he retorts incredulously. But everyone just gives a laugh at his expense.

"Come on. We got a lot of things to do today and not a lot of time to do it." Sheppard stops the banter before it can really get going and bog them down. Joker looks robbed of his comeback but decides not to say anything. He would probably get her for that again later. _If there is a 'later'._

They all step into the airlock space. It was a bit cramped with all the people in there but it was sufficient. "Enjoy your sardine can." Joker quips before the doors close. A computerised voice sounded while a white light passed over them "Equalising interior pressure with exterior atmosphere. Logged : the commanding officer is ashore, XO Presley has the deck." _That must get annoying after the umpteenth time. And Joker was right, it almost feels like a sardine can in here…_

Just when she was starting to get uncomfortable with the amount of people in such a small space, the doors open and a burst of relatively fresh air hit her. A small smile tugs at her face as the relief hits her when they all file out of the airlock, only to be greeted by a grumpy looking officer. Shepard stops in front of the officer and salutes him, must be an important person then. She straightens herself a bit more and tries to stand at attention, good first impressions never hurt, right? Unfortunately the Admiral is more interested in finding out why _his_ ship was taken away from him and now working for the Council. Luckily Shepard is able to talk him down from giving a negative report, but Christine notices how the Admiral gives the Turian and her sideways glances every now and then. Huh. This makes her wonder if most humans hate aliens the way he is going on about them. After his inspection of the ship the Admiral had a few more negative comments about Shepard, his crew and the design and waste of money on the ship, but was going to send a more positive report to his superiors than he would have originally.

"One more thing Commander. Why are you harbouring a civilian on board as well? Your alien crew members at least have useful skills; _her_ on the other hand, you could have dropped her off at the nearest colony and be done with it." The Admiral stated, clearly looking for any scrap of proof that Shepard is wasting Alliance resources.

 _Jackass….._ was all Christine thought

"Admiral, Christine is a valuable resource for reasons I cannot disclose publicly. We rescued her and she is now under Council protection. You can access more details from my official reports if you want more information on the matter, sir." Shepard stated calmly. "I hope this concludes your inspection Admiral?"

"Yes, yes. Very well Shepard. You're dismissed." And with this the Rear-Admiral turned around and left the docks. Shepard let out a soft sigh of relief and his body relaxed bit.

"Now, let's get you to those tests before more interruption occur." He said with a smile. Christine smiled back at him but groaned inwardly.

She turned as they walked away from the docking ramp and saw the Normandy for the first time in all its beauty and elegance. Christine stopped walking and just admired the sight before her. Chakwas chuckled at her response. "She is a beautiful ship, isn't she? Unfortunately we have an appointment to keep and we already wasted enough time as it is. Come on dear, we need to get going." And Chakwas nudged her along until they got in the elevator.

When the slow elevator reached the C-Sec Academy, they all piled out; the few other crew members heading off to whatever it was they needed to do, leaving Garrus, Shepard, Chakwas and Christine heading towards a terminal. The Academy was crowded and Christine stuck close to Chakwas, glancing at all the people and aliens passing by. She was nervous and tense while they waited for the Transit Skycar. Garrus greeted a few of his friends that passed by, while Sheppard took notice of how tense Christine had become.

"Hey, no need to worry so much." He tried to reassure her. "We are here with you and no one is going to hurt you. And Garrus knows the Citadel well enough to get us there fast, so you can relax a little." He ended with a warm smile, and at the mention of his name, Garrus turned his attention to their conversation; but this time Christine didn't smile back at him, instead her eyes were filled with fear and trepidation.

"I don't do well in crowds" she finally says.

Just then a green skinned Salarian with grey eyes in C-Sec uniform approached Garrus and greeted him. "Ah, Vakarian. I wondered what happened to you. Pallen just said you resigned without a good reason. What happened?"

Christine immediately stood behind the nearest person between her and the Salarian with saucer wide eyes, but didn't say a word; like a shy child hiding behind their parents. Luckily, before anything could happen, the Transit lands and the doors open for them.

"Hey Salik. No time to explain right now, I'm on a mission and that's why I resigned. If I see you some other time we can chat about it, got to go now though." Garrus supplied on his way to the Skycar.

"Didn't know your mission involved escorting scared colonists." He chuckled, glancing at Christine "But good luck either way."

"You know that's not true" Garrus defended himself but his small smile betrayed his amusement "Anyway, got to go." as Garrus got in the Skycar last.

"See you around, Vakarian" was heard as the doors closed.

Garrus was in the drivers' seat and directed the VI to drive them to the hospital and to bypass traffic with his C-sec access codes. "There, that will get us there faster. It's peak lunch time traffic now and would normally take us about an hour to get to the hospital from the docks. Lucky for you guys we can skip traffic." He chuckled.

"Thanks Garrus." Sheppard said. When he looked over his shoulder to Christine, she was holding on to her seat for dear life it seemed, with her knuckles turning white from how hard she was gripping the seat. Her face was turned to the window, watching everything fly by. "Hey, you don't have to worry about it, these things are perfectly safe." He tried to comfort her. She quickly looked back at him and then out of the window again.

"I haven't even been on airplanes a lot before… I get a bit of motion sickness with take-off and landings." Was her reply with a crackled voice, "I'll be ok as long as I can look out a window."

At this Chakwas turns in her seat next to Christine "Just take deep breaths and look out at the horizon, dear" she advised. "I didn't think to bring any medication for things such as this, but we will be at the hospital soon enough, so don't worry about it."

"What's an airplane? I think my translator is making it sound like something completely different." Garrus askes, confusion evident on his face.

Before Sheppard or Chakwas could speak up though, Christine answers while not looking away from the window. "Airplanes _were_ humans first flying machines with either propeller, or later, turbine jet engines. That was in my time, at least. From what you say, then they don't call it that anymore or just don't use it that much anymore." Face completely dead-pan and voice monotone.

"Oh. That makes more sense now. It translated to something more akin to air duct" Everyone else give a small chuckle at that, but not Christine. She seems lost in thought, or just trying really hard to fight down the motion sickness, Garrus couldn't tell. After that, the cab is filled only with silence as no one knew what to really say right now. What _do_ you say to a time traveling person that lost everything and is about to undergo medical test with machines and aliens you know nothing about?

When the Sky-car finally lands in front of the hospital, Christine seems to come back to herself but keeps a blank expression with dull and distant eyes. She just follows them like a zombie. Chakwas looked at her concerned but didn't voice anything. They headed into the hospital, with Shepard and Chakwas in the front, Christine in the middle and Garrus following behind.

While Shepard and Chakwas talk to the receptionist Christine starts to look around her for the first time since they landed here. The lobby was similar to many a hospital entrance with a few chairs and couches as a waiting area, some potted plants, a café and the receptionist desk. Everything is in sterile white except for a few pieces of art hanging on the walls and the plants to add some colour. There were a few people around the lounge; a couple of Salarians were sitting on a couch talking, a human woman and another Salarian on another and a family of Turians with a small child sitting on some of the waiting chairs.

The child has what looks like a cast on his arm. She stood there and stared at the family for a while, a soft, sorrowful smile crossing her features for a brief second. None of the others seemed to notice this, and her features return to a blank slate as she turns back to the Asari receptionist, who is directing Chakwas to where they need to go.

Once all was sorted out, Chakwas turned to the group "We will be busy for about four hours, I doubt you will find the whole process interesting Commander, you can come pick us up once we are done. I'm sure there are more important matters that require your attention."

"Thanks Doc, call me once you two are done here. Come on Vakarian, we have places to be." Sheppard answered easily, and then leaves with Garrus close behind. Both not seeming too interested in spending an afternoon observing medical tests.

Christine visibly relaxes a bit as the Turian leaves her close proximity, before Chakwas calls her over and she tenses again in the anticipation of the tests to come, but follows her wordlessly. She was told what all the tests are supposed to be and what for, but it doesn't stop her from being nervous and she can't pinpoint why. _Off course you're nervous, you were a freaking experiment for who knows how long?_ She berated herself.

They head up a very slow elevator and down some halls and corridors to a room with what looks like the same overhead scanners of the Normandy but with a few extra bits and a lot bigger. Next to one of the machines, a Salarian is standing in white scrubs, focusing on a transparent orange datapad. Once he notices their entrance he smiles "Ah, Dr. Chakwas; I believe this is the Councils request, yes? Good, good. Very interesting report, interested to corroborate and refine results." He was talking so fast neither of them had much chance to even nod in agreement to his statement. "Dr. Salaceous. The Council wanted an independent opinion on the results. I'm sure you understand." He says in way of greeting while prepping the machine.

At this Chakwas seemed to react. "Wait a minute, I was told I would be performing the tests. I don't mind a supervisor and secondary independent report; but the patient is still traumatised and doesn't respond that well to any non-humans at this point." Her demeanour was defensive and Christine cowered behind Chakwas at the mention of the Salarian doctor running the tests.

"I'm sorry Doctor, but this is a direct order from the Council. They want a fully independent report. However, I won't deny you helping with the tests and keeping the patient calm, as well as getting the results of the tests. This is as far as I'm allowed to go though. Now, can we prep her for the first series of in depth scans?" he states calmly but without looking up from his datapad this time.

Chakwas seemed to be furious for a fraction of a second, but it vanished as soon as it appeared, replaced with calm professionalism. "Very well Dr. Salaceous, but any direct interaction with the patient is to be conducted by me or a human nurse. That is non-negotiable."

"Hmmmm, very well. Acceptable terms given her brief pshyc eval. Now if you could please get the patient in a hospital gown and get her set up here for the first scan while I acquire the appropriate nurse for assistance." He stated with one hand on his chin while turning around and heading out the door, not waiting for her reply.

Christine was nervous to say the least, now she would have to face a Salarian as well as the tests…. Something about him was feeling like it was going to trigger a bad memory, but she couldn't put her finger on it, and so, try to avoid it. Or maybe she was just nervous of being a guinea pig again, only this time to figure out what had been done to her… She didn't want to know really. But what choice did she have? This ruling Council ordered the tests, she had no idea what would happen if she refused them. So she just went with what Chakwas asked her to do, at least she trusted her not to do anything bad to her.

Soon she was in the hospital gown and laying down on the scanner's table, quietly nervous but resigned to what must be done for now. Maybe if she cooperated this will be over faster and she could leave here and head back to the safe and boring Medbay…. Never thought she would want to go back to a safe boring hospital room, but so far it's the only place something bad hadn't happened to her.

Her thoughts were cut short with the return of the Salarian doctor and a human woman that she presumed was the nurse. "Ah, I see you are all set up, good, let's begin." And without another word or waiting for their response he starts up the machine and it starts to make sweeps over her body with some kind of light. Chakwas looked at her with warm, but apologetic eyes.

"It's the same type of scanner as the one I used on you on the Normandy, only larger and able to ascertain more detail, please stay still. It should only take about 5 minutes." Chakwas seems to be trying to set her at ease. It helped a bit having someone explain what was being done at that moment. But her ease was short lived as the Dr. Salaceous frowned when he got the result and made a thoughtful sound.

"I'm going to run the test again for 10 minutes, there is still some sort of interference with the anomalies." After said ten minutes, more scans from various equipment followed, moving from room to room, machine to machine; the Salarian never dropping his frown, and Chakwas never stopping to try and reassure her. Finally they came to the part she feared the most.

The nurse approached her with a syringe and an empty vail for the blood test. Christine closed her eyes and rolled her head in the opposite direction. The nurse had smiled at her and said it will be just a prick and be over before she knew it. But the moment the needle pierced her skin something in her snapped, full blown panic and fear overwhelmed her. Images of her brief moments awake during the experiments being poked and prodded with needles and scalpels. The nurse didn't notice the tiny twitch on her face, too focused on her job and was caught unawares. A palm appeared out of nowhere and hit her up the nose, breaking it and staggering her backwards, her hands reaching for her face. The world seemed to slow down around her as she just reacted on an instinct she didn't know she had.

The moment the nurse's hands were off of her, she flew up to her feet and started running for the door, by the time she was out of the room she heard the surprised calls of both doctors, starting to follow her, calling her back. She didn't stop for anyone, running over nurses and doctors in the hallways. Even after a Turian nurse was able to grab her by the wrist, she merely twisted while still in mid stride, twisted her wrist, grabbing his wrist and simultaneously dislodging hers from his grip; and with the same twisting momentum threw him across the hall behind her; surprise and horror barely having time to flicker over his face before she lets go and turns back to running, all of this happening in just more than a second. Her mind was following the path that led her into the hospital, to backtrack and find the stairs. She jumped down them three at a time until she saw some people running up from one of the lower floors, spotting her.

"There she is!" a human yelled and the small party started up towards her, while a second party burst from the floor where she came from. Her mind was racing so fast she didn't even think before she acted and jumped out the window, only one instinct at the forefront; RUN; not even noticing the glass shards in her arms and hair. As she cleared the window her body twisted around and she grabbed the windowsill, landing hard on the side of the wall. She paused for a few seconds, catching her breath and surveying her best rout down. She then started to nimbly jump from window to window, here and there crossing to a balcony. By the time the first person poked their head out the window expecting a horror on the ground, she was several floors down and several meters to the right down the building. Only a few more floors between her and the open street. The Asari took a few seconds to spot her and just gaped in awe before she put her hand up to her radio and yelled something about the suicidal gymnast on her way to the ground floor. A few seconds later she hit the ground running for the nearest alleyway, dodging stunned onlookers for the safety of the shadows. Once she reached the alleyway she looked back to see some people following her from the hospital entrance yelling for anyone to stop her. She didn't stop and started to swerve between cross sections of the alleys, never following a straight path and trying to throw off her pursuers. Once she was sure they were far enough away, she ducked into a dumpster and stayed there quietly listening after she closed the lid.

She could hear sirens now, and eventually a breathless voice followed by some heavy footsteps "You sure she went this way?! She could be anywhere in these blasted alleys by now! Even have left it all together….or even on the roof!" the male voice yelled. A reply came from further down the alley in the form a flanged voice. "She couldn't have gotten that far ahead of us! C-sec will be combing this place soon enough with more eyes than she can dodge! We'll find her." Christine's hope fell as the footsteps got farther away. How was she going to dodge all of those people? In the dim light of the dumpster she spotted some old clothes and quickly traded them for her hospital gown. It was a bit big and obviously made for a man, but it was better than the gown. It was just a shirt and some pants, but it would do. Add to that her now messy appearance from the garbage and she might be able to pull off the 'hobo' look and slip past the cops before they found her. She loosened her hair and ruffled it up a bit to help with her disguise. She then got to work on the last pieces of glass in her hair and arms, wincing as she pulled a few small pieces out, but with no big cuts or heavy bleeding, she thought it would be just fine.

After making sure there was no one outside, she slipped out of the dumpster and slinked down the alleyway in the shadows. She followed it as far as she could until the alley opened up into what looked like a market plaza with stalls of all sorts in the open air. She made sure her hair hung over her face, mucked up what little of her face was still visible and took a deep breath before she stepped out into the crowds with a bit of a limp. She didn't have to fake it, her right leg was aching after all that running and jumping. Didn't she have a broken bone there only a few days ago? Modern medicine must be wonderful, but she had had enough of doctors and needles to last her a lifetime. Speaking of, what had triggered her reaction? And now that she thought about it, how come she was so determined to run away and how did she even manage all that stuff? Every time she felt like she was in serious danger, she just reacted on some instinct and things just happen that she would never have been able to do in a million years.

She was mindlessly walking around trying to figure things out for herself, and barely noticed she had snatched up an apple from a stand and was eating it. No one seemed to notice her, a few made way for her, probably not wanting to touch her filth. Here and there she heard a sneer aimed at her, but paid it no mind. The aliens still made her nervous, but she kept it under a blank face and they would ignore her.

 _So now what do I do? I can't go back to the Normandy, they'll be angry and the Council will probably force the tests on me now; I have no idea where I am or where I'm going, or how I could even begin to survive on my own here. I have no money and no place to stay. Brilliant idea Christine, just brilliant._

She continued wondering down the street, still hearing sirens in the distance, but far enough away that she didn't concern herself with it now. She eventually came upon a Transit terminal and stared at it from a few meters away, not knowing how to use it or if she needed money for it. A couple of Asari stepped up to the terminal and a Skycar landed. Christine got a sudden idea and before she knew what she was doing, she was moving towards the car just after the Asari had closed the door. She quickly slipped underneath the Skycar and lathed herself onto handholds that she would never have dreamed of trying. They soon took off and she tagged along for the ride, ending up on one of the other arms of the Citadel. Once they stopped, she quickly let go and slinked into the shadows. This area was more of a residential area with many apartment blocks with shops on the bottom levels. Christine admired the sight for a few seconds before moving along.

She kept walking hunched over, no one sparing her a second glance. Some of the humans looked at her walking barefoot but were too intent on their own agendas to bother her. _Guess the 'hobo' idea is working well enough._ In the crowd a Salarian bumped into her, but continued down the street, almost in a hurry. Christine spotted something on the floor in a bag the size of a grapefruit, _he must have dropped it_. She started to follow him with the bag when a few seconds later a few C-sec officers came around a corner in a hurry, and seemed to spot something "There he is! Stop there! You're under arrest!" the Salarian looked back and spotted the officers and spotted Christine with the bag, his eyes went wide and he just turned around and ran. Christine stood there, dumbfounded for a few seconds as a few officers barge past her after the Salarian. She looked down at the package in her hand and then back at the scene. Suddenly a large armoured hand fell on her shoulder and she heard a flanging voice from behind her "Well what do we have here?" she slowly started to turn around to look at the Turian officer, panic rising to a fever pitch "Looks like you have some illegal contraband there girl, I'll have to take yo-" when she finally looked at him she froze with fear for a second, staring at his silver plates before she reacted and just cut him off in the middle of his sentence with a fist to the gut, bending him forward before she followed it up with a knee to the face, sending him sprawling backwards and she just bolted. She didn't get far before she was grabbed by a couple of hands belonging to a well-built man, quickly grabbing her hands and twisting it behind her back painfully. She struggled to get loose but to no avail, he was just too strong.

"You're not going anywhere minx!" he growled in a gruff voice. She couldn't see him properly, but just heaved her head backwards into his face. He cursed and lost the grip on one of her hands, but before she could turn around and punch him, a blunt object hit her in the side of her head and she went down like a rock. Her vision blurred and she only heard a few muffled grunts. "Bitch nearly broke my nose! Take her in and keep her restrained-…-try to escape again…" more hands pulled her up off the ground and she could only moan a response in pain before she blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6: C-Sec

_**Hey everyone. Thanks again for all your lovely support! I will soon be working with a beta for the first time =^^=. Hoping that it will smooth out my writing and constantly going back to edit previous chapters, which I have been doing a lot... Anyway, Enjoy.**_

Chapter 6: C-Sec

Pain was once again the first thing she realised out of the haze of unconsciousness, followed by the distant sound of voices, like they were in another room or there was a wall between them and her. She tried not to moan or move, wanting to get a better handle on her surroundings and be fully aware before she alerted whoever that she was awake. She was laying on some sort of flat surface or slab, with the barest of mattress underneath her. The voices became more coherent after a few seconds, but she dare not open her eyes yet, not knowing if they could see her. All she knew was that there was a light above her, she was on her side and she wasn't in a pod at least, but she was getting tired and frustrated at waking up in these situations.

"…like another crazy, homeless duster case if you ask me. She's going sleep off the blow probably for the next couple of hours sir. Medic says she'll be fine. We can question her once she wakes up…. No, sir. We didn't find any ID on her and she's not on the system….. Yes sir, will notify you as soon as she comes to." Came a feminine voice from behind the wall.

 _Questioning? Question for what?! What happened….. Ugh, head hurt….. Think Damit! Last I was off the Normandy, went for the test and then….._ The memories suddenly come flooding back and she shot open her eyes, not even the bright light could make her more than blink a few times before she adjusted. She dare not move yet, but surveyed the room with only moving her eyes. She was in some sort of cell with only a toilet and the bed she was laying on. There seemed to be a force field for a door. _If this is a cell, then I must be in a police station…That's good! I can explain this was all just an accident and I'm scared out of my shattered skull, and get back to the hospital or the Normandy to Dr. Chakwas!_

Christine slowly began to move to sit up, finally allowing herself to groan from her throbbing head. She noticed a sticky patch of blood on her temple, probably the blow she took; but is was already dry and smelled of some sort of antiseptic. She made her way to the force field, not wanting to test it out by touching it, but also trying to see as far down the hall on both ends as she could. There was no cells on the opposite wall, so she couldn't see if there was anyone else here, except for an Asari officer at the end of the hall by the door, going over a datapad. Christine swallowed her nerves down. _Come on Christi, suck it up, they are the good guys here. Just call her over and explain everything._ She swallowed one more time before calling in a shaky voice "E-Ex-Excuse me? ….. H-Hello? T-there was a misunderstanding, I-I'm not s-supposed to b-be here."

At the sound of her voice the Arari spun round and stared at her in disbelieve as if she can't bring herself to believe that someone was calling her, then promptly snapped out of it and headed for her cell, hand rising to her ear for her radio. "Sir! She's awake already, should I bring her through? ….. Yes sir." The violet blue Asari with white lines on her face stopped in front of her cell with a serious look on her face, then removed something from the back of her belt that looked like a strange rectangular box that fit in the palm of her hand. "Ok Ma'am, please step away from the barrier and turn around with your hands on your head. I'm going to come in and cuff you to take you to questioning, you made quit the mess in the wards you know."

Christine was stunned for a moment, but then just nodded and did as was asked of her, not trusting her voice and not knowing what else to do. The only logical reasoning she had in her head was that they were the cops and wouldn't hurt her if she cooperated. Once she was cuffed in a strange orange glowing cuff, the Asari led her out and down the hall. She tried to hide her shaking hands but she was so scared it was a mission not to let her whole body tremble. Not only was she cuffed and being led to who knows where, but she is once again at the mercy of an alien in an unknown situation. Mentally she was coming apart at the seams from fear, slowly unravelling; one pull away from falling apart completely, but she tried to keep it wrapped up for all she was worth.

Once the door opened and she was led out into the lobby, she froze in her tracks. It was packed with aliens and humans of every sort, panic creeping up into her throat. A gentle shove from the Asari officer behind her made her keep walking, wide-eyed at every alien that came too close or brushed by them. "Hey, you ok in there?" came the officer's voice from behind her, making her look around in her frightened state. She gave her an odd look but motioned for her to continue saying only that they were almost there. They pushed on and were almost out of the crowd when a dark skinned Turian bumped into her grumbling something, but that was all she could take. She screamed in terror so loud everyone around her held their ears, and everyone else stopped what they were doing and stared at her. She didn't notice, only seeing danger all around her and ran to the nearest dark corridor to get away.

Officers tried to grab at her but she dodged all of them until she reached the hallway, where she ran right into the arms of a man, grabbing her and holding in place. "Easy there girl, easy." He said in a deep voice. Christine was squirming for all she was worth but wasn't budging. The Asari officer caught up with her by now, speaking to the Human one holding her. "Thanks Jeffries, she needs to go to interrogation room J10 for Chellick. She seems to be scared of everyone around here so let's take the hallway there and not the hub. She might be a duster, which could explain her reaction."

"Sure thing Amenis, lead the way. The faster we get there the faster she'll stop squirmin'." And with that they both move down a hallway and through some corridors. Christine eventually stopped wriggling about so much, resigning herself to being caught again, but also the panic in her having subsided enough for her to think logically about it all, now that she was out of the crowd of aliens.

 _Great, I'm just making this all worse for myself by running from officers. Why do I keep snapping like that?_ She thought to herself. Before she knew it, she was in a smallish room with a single light in the middle and table and two chairs, and the officers were seating her in one. She noted that the chairs and table were bolted to the floor as well. _Must be so people don't toss around the furniture in a tantrum or something._

Once she was seated and calm enough, both officers left the room; leaving her with only her thoughts. She didn't let her thoughts wonder too much this time and tried to focus on what she would need to explain to whoever came to question her. She didn't know what else they might be asking her regarding the bag of stuff she picked up, but that officer did say something about contraband. She sighs and drops her head and looks at the floor, scuffing the metal plated floor with her one foot repeatedly. An hour seems to drag by with nothing happening. She presumed that one of the walls probably had a one-way mirror of some kind, all the cop shows or movies had those. But why they waited and only observed her she didn't know.

After starting to get really bored she lifted her head to lay on her arms on the table, not the most comfortable position but she has fallen asleep in exams before, so she ignored her minor discomfort. A few minutes after she started drifting off, the door shwiched open, revealing the Asari officer from before and a new Turian officer. At the sight of him she curled up a bit in her chair, as far as she could get from him without getting out of the chair. They notice this and the Turian raised a brow plate at her antics but didn't say anything. He put down what looked like a plastic cup of water on her side of the table, before moving to the other chair and taking a seat. He had light cream coloured plates, with white face paint and bright green eyes. Christine just eyed him, not moving or speaking, face as blank as she could hold it; while he assessed her from across the table before he spoke. "I brought you some water if you were thirsty." He stated in a neutral tone. _Must be the good cop routine…._ Christine mused to herself, looking down to the glass and then back to the Turian.

"I'm fine." Is all she manages to croak out of her fear constricted throat. He eyes her suspiciously now before he continues.

"I'm Detective Chellick, and I have a few questions for you in regards to this afternoon's incident." He states and seems to wait for her to acknowledge it. She nods in return and he starts his questioning. "First off, what is your name?"

"Ch-Christine Kruger" out of the corner of her eye she notices the Asari make a note on a datapad, wait for a few seconds and then look at the detective and shake her head at him.

"You're not on our databases, Christine; care to explain why?" he asks, still in his neutral tone.

Christine thinks carefully of her answer, because she knows they won't believe her if she did tell them right away, but she could tell them the truth without too much detail and hope they could trace it from there "I don't know… they said the same on the Normandy after they rescued me from some desert planet….. dunno how I got there exactly… " _Well that's mostly true._

He gave her a perplexed look, and looked over at the Asari, who was typing something on her datapad, then gave him a shrug and a nod. "Very well, we will contact them to confirm your identification. Now, what were you doing in the markets this afternoon before you were chased down?"

Christine pulled up her legs to her body, wrapped her cuffed hands around them and rested her head on her knees before answering. "I was just walking through, and this Salarian bumped into me and dropped a bag of something. I picked it up and was about to take it back to him when the officers came around a corner and started chasing him. Another Turian officer put a hand on my shoulder and said something and I just panicked and just….. reacted….. I didn't mean to hit him….. I just ran and was so scared…." She said, curling into a tighter ball and not looking Chellick in the eyes.

He seems to think of her answer before continuing "Very well then, would you please fill out your statement of what happened on this form for the records?" at that mention the Asari officer stepped forward and put another datapad in front of her on the table. Christine cringes away from the Asari as she moves close by her. Both officers giving her sceptical looks at her reaction, but the Asari just steps back to her corner and they now both seems to wait on her.

After a few more tense seconds, Christine extended a shaking hand and picked up the datapad and slowly started typing away, not saying a word, but hesitating at some of the lines in the form. Chellick kept an eagle eye on everything she did, assessing or judging her, she didn't know, but somehow pleased as well. When she was done, she threw the datapad at him and resumed to curling up on the chair, shaking like a leave.

"Are you sure you're not having withdrawal symptoms from something? Amenis, what did her toxicology report say?" came his remark at her reaction while picking up the datapad and starting to read it over.

"Nothing sir, as in absolutely nothing. Not even vaccines." Came the reply with obvious scepticism. Christine just eyed them, not knowing what to say to all this, but getting progressively more and more nervous of the situation, when suddenly Chellick spoke up with a booming voice, standing from his chair.

"What?! You expect me to believe this? You can't be born in 1990?! What are you trying to pull here?" Chellick was willing to start believing her story, but now this? But when he looked at the woman, he didn't think a human could curl up in such a small, tight ball; and she was now whimpering in fear, hands raised in his direction, hiding her face. He didn't know if he was looking at the best actress he has ever seen, or if he was seriously misjudging the withdrawal hallucinations she was going through. He calmed himself down and sat back in his chair, trying to calm the frantic woman before he continued. "Look Miss Kruger, it's not good to lie to a C-Sec officer, and it will be impossible then to take your statement serious if this is the kind of information you give us. I hope you reconsider th-" Chellick was explaining but was cut off by the sudden frantic voice of the Asari.

"Sir! We have no communications! And my datapad is going crazy…" as she said this, the datapad started to spark and she dropped it to the floor where it proceeded to start smoking before it went dead and stopped sparking. The officers looked at each other and then to Christine, which looked even more dumbfounded than they did.

"I thought this room was clear of bugs and disruptors?" Chellick asked angrily. But the Asari just gave him a look that said there shouldn't be any, and they looked at Christine again, who was looking between the two of them, from one to the other and back. "Search her for any devices." He ordered.

The Asari officer stepped forward and brought out her omni-tool to scan her, but this time Christine wriggled off of her chair into the nearest corner at the sight for some reason. When she stepped closer again and started scanning, Christine was holding up her hands defensively again and breathing heavily. _Too close, she's too close…. Hide, must hide….. trapped… trapped…. Can't get out, must get out… must get out…._ Was all that was running through her mind.

"Sir, my scan is drawing a blank, as in it doesn't even pick her up as being here…. I don't know what's going on… she had nothing on her except for the clothes on her back and a translator when she came in." came the unbelieving reply.

"Then check her physically, she must have some sort of device that's causing the jamming that you missed! Check the translator!" he was growling now and getting up to move over to her as the Asari came even closer. Once she laid her hand on her shoulder, Christine snapped again, but it felt different from earlier, she would later note. Instead of just the run instinct she had before, it screamed FIGHT since there was nowhere to run.

 _No, No, No Nonono "NOOO!"_ The Asari looked at her startled but was too late to react as Christine headbutted her as she came up fast, sending her reeling backwards; but before she went far, Christine pulled her head back and a knee went to her gut and then a shoulder to the back of the head, sending her crumpling to the floor. When she looked up, the Turian was already almost on top of her, but she was faster. She dodged him grabbing for her, and then a right hook punch, before she used the momentum of her dodge to turn it into a round house kick to the face. He stumbles but recovers, but before he could come at her again, she gives him a few quick punches to the unprotected area of his gut, before tripping him and punching him in the temple, knocking him out.

She quickly whirled around to find the Asari not moving on the ground as well. She was panting heavily staring at their still forms for a few seconds before she moved to the door, examining it. She didn't even notice the sparking cuffs lying on the floor. All she wanted was to get out and find a safe and dark corner to hide in. The haptic interface was once again blaring an angry red at her. But this time she didn't even think about it, and just put her hand on it, letting a spark jump from her hand, unlocking it like she did when she ran from that other ship; only this time, she was on some sort of auto-pilot, only barely aware of what she was doing or what was happening.

The door wooshed open and she peaked out. No one was currently in the hallway, so she slinked out, hugging the wall but moving fast and quiet from one hallway to the next until she found an empty office. She decided to hide behind the desk there, and locked the door behind her with another spark from her hands, but this one seemed to also disable all electronics in the office, even making the lights go out. She felt her way to the desk in the dark, sliding behind and underneath it.

Once her heartbeat slowed down enough for her to start relaxing the panic away enough, it hit her what she had just done…. again…. without her meaning to harm anyone, but was just so damn scared. She curled up in a ball and started crying. _What have I become?!_

"Sir, one of the interrogation rooms just went dark, no comms, vid or audio feed. Even the power grid doesn't seem to exist around it, but it's still using power."

Salik looked up from his datapad at his desk, going over a missing person's case from the hospital. Something about it being difficult to get the case going since the person wasn't on their systems. The person seemed oddly familiar to him, but hadn't yet had the time to place her. "What is it Cadet? What's the cause?" he asks as he gets up to have a look. He was supervising the new techs at the monitoring stations. Not the best part of his job, but he rather make sure himself they are competent before they take their more permanent posts.

"I'm not sure sir. Detectives Chillick and Amenis just started questioning a suspect and then it all went dark. There is nothing wrong with any of the rooms next to it, sir. I have no idea what's caused it." Answered the human cadet. She was trying every possible test in the book, but to no avail. "It's like a black hole is just blanking out all signals from there."

"Hmmm…, send a team to investigate, I don't like this. Why would it all go dark just as an interview starts? Tell the team to be ready for anything, I'll meet them at the hub and then lead the team myself." Something was very off about this to him, better to error on the side of caution. He left the monitoring station to get his gear and meet the team.

"Yes sir. Team will be there in 10."

12 Minutes later and they were at the interrogation room. The door was open and fried. As they rushed in, weapons raised, all they found was Chellick and Amenis out cold on the floor, with no other sign of struggle, and all the electronics fried in the room. And oddly, a full glass of water on the table, untouched. "Get a medic in here stat! Put the station on alert, we have a suspect on the loose!" All the nonessential personnel scrambled to their posts, while the medics came rushing in. Something was very wrong here and Salik was going to get to the bottom of this. Just as he was about to request a station wide search, his omni-tool beeped with a call.

"Salik here. …. Another room went dark? Same circumstances? ... Right, We'll investigate immediately." He ends the call and turns to his team. "Team two, with me, weapons ready. We just got another room that went off the grid." And they all followed his lead down the hallway.

Christine had cried more in this last week- _Was it a week or more? I'm not sure-_ than she has for most of her life. She just can't adapt with everything changing so much around her the whole time. She's frightened too, not just of her surroundings and the aliens, but of what they have made her into…. It has to be what happened all those times she was unconscious or semi-awake. Some freak show that didn't even know what she was or what she could do…. She was a constant danger to those around her as far as she was concerned. The only time she didn't really freak out like that was when she was on the Normandy… they were nice to her there, so maybe she could be safe with some people, but not all.

While she was racking her brain trying to make sense of everything, she heard footsteps coming from the hallway outside the door, before she heard voices. "…-the one that's gone dark? Good. Ready, on my three" Christine tensed, peaking at the small gap on the floor under the table, not making a sound or movement.

"One" She held herself tighter…

"Two" she closed her eyes and held her breath.

"Three!" the door was pulled open on the emergency manual latch, and three flashlights entered the room swiftly, scanning the room for potential threats. After a few seconds, one rested on the table. The light bobbed a bit, and Christine opened one eye and let her breath out softly and slowly before she passes out. Some scuffling in her direction indicated they were coming around to her, before a light blinded her. She held up a hand and gasped at the assault on her eyes.

"Don't move, C-Sec! Keep your hands where I can see them." Came a male voice. Christine quickly held out both hands in front of her and shielded her eyes, whimpering and trembling. She was quickly cuffed and pulled out from under the table, then shoved to the door with a pistol at her back. She stumbled out into the light and adjusted in a few blinks, to find a few pistols trained on her, and a Salarian in front of her with a scowl on his face. All she did was tremble and stare at him.

"Are you sure she is our escaped prisoner that caused all this chaos? She's nothing more than a frightened woman hiding in the dark? Does she even have a disruptor on her?" he asked to his subordinate. She was promptly scanned and given the all clear. The pistols were lowered and the Salarian now focused on her. "Now miss, could you please tell me what you are doing hiding in a C-Sec office?" he asked her, crossing his arms.

"I-I was scared….. ran…. Hid … no more….. I hurt people…. Sorry…. So scared… just ran…." She was staring at the floor and fiddling with her hands as she struggled to get the words out. the Salarian gave a thoughtful hum at her answer and then promptly turned around.

"Emmerson, take her to questioning but be gentle with her. She's traumatised from something. Give her food and water if she needs any. I'll call it in and take it from there."

"Yes sir!"

And with that she was wordlessly taken away to another small room with a table and chairs. She didn't even bother sitting in the chair this time, hiding in the corner again, ignoring all offers of food or drink.

"Sir, we have the woman that was brought in with the red sand dealer and who supposedly took out Chellick and Amenis…. Yes sir, she is in a new interrogation room, guarded till we question her…. Sir, I don't think that is wise, she is tr-….. No sir, I think this case is related to that hospit-… yes sir…. She will be waiting for your personal questioning." A frustrated sigh escapes him. This is not going to end well.

Later, while is watching the start of the questioning, it hits him like a freight train, nearly knocking him over at the revelation. _It's her! The colonist that came in with Vakarian! Maybe he can shed some light on the situation… Pallin will have my head for this, but he's not listening to me or my theories._

He steps out of the Academy to a quiet corner and phones the only person he believes knows what's going on with this mystery person.

"Vakarian here, this better be urgent Salik. I'm in the middle of a mission."

"It is important. It's concerning your colonist friend that came with you earlier today….."


	7. Chapter 7: Triggers

_**Hey everyone. Thanks to the huge jump in fav's and follows. It warms my heart and motivates me to write more and better chapters for you guys. Enjoy =^^=**_

Chapter 7: Triggers

Garrus was rushing as fast as he could through the night time crowds towards C-Sec Academy. When he finally reached it, Salik was waiting for him outside. "Took you long enough, Pallin himself is conducting the interrogation. It's not going well. She is barley answering and huddled in a corner. I don't know how long it will be before he either breaks her mentally, or she breaks _him_ physically. Personally I'd prefer to see the latter but I doubt it will happen." He informs Garrus as they walk in the direction of the interrogation rooms.

"Thanks for the call Salik. And since when does Pallin come in to do interrogations personally? … Wait…. That's definitely not good…. Spirits, Chakwas might just end up killing him! This woman is terrified of aliens and especially Turians. I can't tell you much but she somehow managed to escape from Saren. That should tell you all you need to know. We better get her out of there and fast." Garrus said, picking up the pace through the station.

At this information, Salik stopped dead in his tracks, causing Garrus to stop and turn to him as well. "Wait, What?! Saren Arterius? The Spectre you were investigating? She escaped from him? No wonder she's traumatised! We have to hurry!" Disbelief, anger and then worry cross his features in that order before he schools his expression and then grabs Garrus by the elbow and almost jogs down the hall.

"Woah, ok, ok! I can move on my own Salik!" Garrus protested, pulling his arm out of his friend's grip but not slowing the pace. They finally reach the opposite end of the interrogation booth, where a tech and another officer were observing the interrogation through the one way window. But before Garrus could turn to see what is happening in the room, Salik turned him to face him with a serious expression on his face.

"Know this Vakarian, I'm in serious breach of protocol bringing you into this and Pallin will probably have me swimming in paperwork for a month before he has my head on a silver platter. She has assaulted and injured several officers in her _two_ chases to capture and then _recapture_ and question her. He believes she is a homeless person, hallucinating and having withdrawal symptoms from red sand or some other drug; or she is some kind of highly trained spy with no records. The skill with which she took out the officers makes him lean to the latter, along with all the strange implants she has." Salik rattled off all the info he had so far on the case to bring Garrus up to speed, who now just stared dumbfounded at him.

"Wait, what? …how-..?" He didn't have time to complete his question as a scream was heard from the room which drew everyone's attention to Christine, ripping the chair from its bolts and swinging it at the Executor, yelling "Stop it! Stop it! …..I don't know! I don't know!... hurt… hide…. scared… must RUN! Must HIDE!..." Pallin manages to dodge the first strike with only one of the chair legs barley scraping his face plates, before the second swipe caught him in the shoulder before he could recover, sending him to the floor. The stationed guard quickly tackled Christine to the floor, making her drop the chair, kicking and screaming at her captors.

"Spirits!" was all Garrus blurted out before he was out the door to get around to the interrogation room. The two guards at the door were on their way in when Garrus pushed by them to find Christine being restrained on the floor and being cuffed. "Let her go! Can't you see she's frightened and traumatised enough already?!" he yelled while promptly pulling the human officer off Christine and she hurried into the corner.

"Vakarian! What in Spirits name are you doing here?! You have no right to interfere with this questioning of a dangerous suspect!" Pallin yelled at him as soon as he stood and saw what happened, but Garrus ignored his ex-boss's rant, bending down low to be at eyelevel with Christine, sub-vocals automatically switching to comfort and reassurance for her, but keeping her leg's length away from her for now.

"Christine? Are you all right? Did they hurt you?" he slowly started reaching an open hand towards her, hoping she recognises him in her panicked state, but when her fogged over eyes meet his, fear is all he finds and she cringes back as far as her corner would let her. He had never seen a human figure try to make itself so small before.

"St-Stay away! ….. No more hurting….. don't want to hurt… I-I'm a monster! … no more hurting…. Monsters alone…. Must hide …. Stay safe ….. monsters don't have friends ….. No? … Yes, …yes …. Monsters don't have friends." She continues to ramble nonsense, looking for all the world like a crazy woman that lost her mind. Garrus retracts his hand slowly, rage building in his chest but he contains it for now so he can make a call.

"Commander, I'm with Christine at C-Sec academy. You better hurry with Chakwas, she is in a real state. Mentally… unstable. Interrogation room B4."

"Rodger that Vakarian, stay with her and try to calm her down and keep others away from her until the doctor gets there, Sheppard out." Came the reply before he turned off his omni-tool and proceeded to make soft cooing noises at her to try and calm her down.

"Shhhh, shhhh. It's ok, It's ok. No one's going to hurt you Christine." But her eyes were glossed over with fear as she looked at him, no hint of recognition, but at least not lashing out at him. Pallin behind him on the other hand, was not so easily placated.

"Vakarian! You can't just barge in here and talk to a suspect and ignore me!" he bellowed while walking over, holding his left shoulder, shooing an officer that came to fuss over his injuries. All his attention and anger was now directed at Garrus. "You've seen yourself how she assaulted me! She is a criminal and will be treated as such! Now step aside, or have you forgotten that you quit and no longer have any authority here? I will have you arrested for obstruction of justice!"

At this, Garrus got up slowly and turned around, staying between Christine and the other officers, but locking eyes with the Executor, giving a low but still threatening growl to all who tried to approach them. "You forget, _Executor_ ; that I am now under the command of Commander Sheppard, a Spectre, and this petrified woman is vital to our mission. And you go ahead and torture her mentally by being blind to the fact that she was only lashing out, out of fear! Didn't you even notice the way she is reacting to other species? _Especially_ Turians?" The two start to argue back and forth, the argument getting more and more heated as they went along, while the other three officers in the room merely looked on at the tennis match going on, not really sure what to do in the situation.

The argument was at the point where it would come to blows soon, with Christine staring wide eyed from her corner, but a booming authoritive voice yells out over their heated arguing "ENOUGH!" as everyone went silent and all eyes turn to the source. _Doctor Karin Chakwas?! She could have been a Turian general with that voice!... wait….. That look on her face…. the commanding voice? Oh no, oh no….. She's Royally Pissed._ All this goes through Garrus's head in the second it takes his expression to go from surprised, confused and then slight panic as the realisation dawns on him. He glances at the Executor who only seems mildly surprise at the development under his professional mask. He takes a step away from the other Turian, not wanting to be caught it the hurricane to come, while Chakwas was standing in the doorway, taking in the scene.

A few seconds pass, and of course, Pallin is the foolish one to challenge the enraged doctor. "Excuse me ma'am, but you do not have clearance to be here. Kindly leave matters that do not concern you to the proper authorities." He took a breath to say more to dismiss her, but she was in his face in the blink of an eye, finger pointing at him.

"You _fool_! You are nowhere near the proper authority on this matter! I am a medical doctor and _she_ is _my_ patient! Who, by the way, is under council spectre protection! _You_ have done nothing more than traumatise the girl further! Undone a lot of the work I had to do to build up her trust of not just aliens, but even other humans! Now step aside and let me tend to my patient and get her out of here, and you better stay the hell out of my way!" Chakwas was barley containing her rage under a professional scowl and raised voice, while Pallin was just stunned into silence.

When he finally regained his voice, he was still trying to prove his case. "Excuse me doctor but we have our own medical crew to take care of her. And unless your Spectre gives us his authorisation code and direct orders to release her, here is where she will stay. Those are the regulations." He replied as he straightened himself and putting on his confident and professional demeanour, one arm still hanging limply at his side. He will even make a spectre follow the regulations before he gave up his case. All his evidence pointed to this woman being a criminal and not a victim to him.

Chawas's eye twitched under her professional mask. It was becoming really hard not to do bodily harm to the Executor as he persists in his stupidity. But she needed to remain as clam as possible for Christine's sake, the girl was terrified enough as it was without the shouting match going on. After a deep breath she replied in a calm neutral tone, but one with such underlined threat, anger and venom; that everyone in the room paled at her words, making even Garrus step out of her way so she has an open route to the woman, gently pulling two of the officers with him. "Commander Sheppard will be here shortly to confirm his codes and order you _directly_ to hand her over. Now, if you will excuse me; I will see to my patient"

She started to turn towards Christine, but Pallin was not taking the hint; standing between her and her patient. "You will not interfere until I receive the order-" he was cut off from finishing by the doctor rounding on him in the blink of an eye, grabbing his injured arm and twisting it painfully behind his back and popping his shoulder out of its joint in the process. Pallin let out an involuntary yelp of pain before being slammed against the nearest wall face first, pinned and stunned at the same time.

"NO ONE, gets between me and a patient in need! It is my sworn duty render aid regardless of circumstances that would otherwise prevent me from doing so! Now stay out of my way _Executor,_ or I will be forced to incapacitate you!" she growled to him. A gasp is heard from around the room in surprise, but the most notable one came from the doorway, where Shepard had finally appeared, flabbergasted by the scene in front of him.

Chakwas let the executor go and headed to Christine, that still stared wide eyed and agape at what was happening. "It's all right dear, I'm here to take you back to the Normandy." She said softly to the crumpled ball of fear in the corner as she approached slowly. Christine looked at her in fear, but did not shy away like before when a hand was extended to her. Chakwas embraced her in a tight hug. "It's ok, It's ok dear. I'm here now." she cooed as Christine started softly sobbing in Chakwas's arms. They slowly got up together and walked out the room, taking care to stay as far away from any others in the room as possible.

Shepard took a step out of the way to let them through, and then stepped back and broke the stunned silence "Vakarian, go with the doctor and get them to the Normandy as quickly as possible while avoiding any crowds. I'll deal with things here."

"Yes Commander." He replied promptly, shaking off his stupor and moving quickly after the women down the hall.

He quickly opened his omni-tool and sent his authorisation code to Pallin. "Now, Executor, I will need all the files you have on her sent to me and classified. You have unintentionally done much more harm than good to the situation. You did however find her, for which we thank you. All the medical expenses for the injured officers will be covered by the Council. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Council meeting to prepare for and I believe you need to get to a medic yourself. Good day." Shepard stated calmly, although he felt anything but, before he turned and left, with a lightly growling Pallin staring after him.

Once Shepard got back to the med-bay, Christine was already sleeping while Dr. Chakwas was going over a datapad at her side. At the sound of the door opening, she turned around and only gave him a stern look that said he should stay quiet, before motioning for him to wait outside while she finished up. He wordlessly followed her instructions for fear of incurring her wrath. That glimpse of the other side of her in C-Sec,… he did not want to be on the receiving end of it. He would rather take on a Krogan in hand-to-hand than face her.

A few minutes later and she joined him in the mess hall. "Commander, I have the full medical report ready and would like to discuss it with you before we send it to the Council." With her usual calm and professional demeanour. For some reason this scared him more than before, but kept it to himself and lead the way to his office. Once the doors closed, he turned to the doctor and asked the question that has been burning in his head all the way from C-Sec.

"What the heck happened doc? All I saw was you deliberately hitting Pallin's head into a wall? I've never seen you react like that before, are you ok?" he asked concerned. It was really out of character for the normally calm and even humorous doctor to be so violent.

Chakwas took a deep breath in, and then exhaled it slowly before she answered. "Forgive my actions Commander, but he was not listening and I needed to get to my patient before she had a complete breakdown. She very nearly did in fact. Any longer and she might have regressed to the metal state of a child. I could not allow it to continue, and he was not listening to reason. I have dealt with similar soldiers before. You then either knock them out, or, such as in his case, make them listen with unexpected force."

Shepard was stunned at the revelation. "I didn't know you were capable of doing that doc. It's kinda scary if you know what I mean. Please don't do that again, you might just end up scaring the whole crew into never going to the med-bay for fear of your wrath if they did something stupid. " he said the last bit with a smile, lightening the mood. Chakwas chuckled at him in return.

"Don't worry Commander, they have to be very stupid for me to even begin to react that way. There is a reason you never saw me doing that before, because it wasn't necessary. My normal bedside manner gets the job done." She smiled at him and then slipped back into 'doctor' mode. "Now, I have the results from all the tests we did this afternoon. Most were completed before she escaped, it was only the bloodwork that remained as a means of confirming the DNA scans, which were unusual. There was enough organic matter in the needle and vail that fell to the floor when she ran, that Dr. Salaceous analysed while we went in search of her." She took a seat at the desk and motioned for Shepard to sit down as well. "There is a lot of information to get through, Commander. And even though the most shocking revelation has already been disclosed, you might want to sit down for this." She said sincerely.

Shepard sat down slowly, looking at her sceptically. "Ok Karin, what have you found out that is so earthshattering that I would need to sit down? We already know she is from another time, what can stack up to that?"

Karin just took a deep calming breath and then brought out her omni-tool, turning on the small 3D projector with the results of the scans, and then started to explain. "Firstly, all her injuries are completely healed, not even a trace of the more severe breaks are visible on the bones; but this is merely unusual, given her regeneration capabilities. Remember those seemingly implanted biotic nodes?" Shepard nods at the question, not sure what she is getting at but knows she will explain it to him now.

She continued. "Well, from what we can tell they are not just biotic nodes, they seem to store and generate energy of some sort along with generating the normal mass effect fields of a biotic. However this is at the cost of the strength of her biotics. From the estimates, she will barley be able to do more than flare them. The placement is another interesting thing. There is a node _in_ her frontal lobe, the area of the brain responsible for most thought processes and emotional reactions and traits. We believe that her biotics _and_ nerve grafts are linked to this node, which can be thus be triggered by thoughts or reaction to emotions instead of the usual muscle movements. Our proof comes from just before she freaked out at the needle puncturing her arm, the scans picked up a sudden increase in activity in her nerve endings in this region, firing signals split seconds before she reacted. All the corresponding activity was centralised in her cerebellum and brainstem, that revealed that whatever is grafted to her nervous system has it's focal point located there, as part of the tissue."

"This just means that whenever this 'state' is triggered by her emotions and thoughts, a built in muscle memory takes over as a reaction. Call it a primitive self-preservation reaction if you will, as that is the closest analogy we could come up with. This would explain her reactions to the officers that tried to take her into custody or cornered her. She felt her life was in danger and she just reacted." Chakwas took a breath and looked at Shepard to see how this information is sinking in. She could almost see the gears turning in his head as he assimilated the knowledge and formulated his questions.

"So she reacts like that whenever this 'state' is triggered by fear at that moment? Why didn't she react that day in the med-bay when she first woke up to Liara and Garrus in there? She didn't attack them or really run away." He finally asks. Chakwas mills over this for a second before she checked something on her scans.

"I think I see a reason, when comparing the scans from this afternoon to my previous scans, there is a slight difference. I think her system is still adapting to these new implants and grafts. As her body gets used to it, they are harmonising and reacting together instead of as separate entities. Almost like learning the muscle coordination needed to walk. We might still be surprised by what she ends up doing with this. From what I can tell it is only triggered by the most extreme cases of emotional distress at this point. So I believe that if we can keep her calm and feeling safe, she might slowly be able to learn how to control it without the emotional distress triggering it unwillingly. But first she will have to learn to trust us again and with time, and with a proper psychologist to help her along, she can start being a normal person again. Another thing that might help is if she can learn to defend herself naturally, to boost her confidence in many a situation so she doesn't have to feel so scared. I will of course defer to a trained professional on these particular matters but that is my opinion."

Shepard hummed in thought before answering. "I think your right on that doc, but what I can't seem to figure out is what did Saren want with her? What was the purpose of this experiment if she can't use biotics much and we can't even begin to figure out what this thing on her nervous system is supposed to be? Also, the most confusing thing is why would he use a human for this? If he wanted a system to use on his soldiers, he would use a trail with one of those species, and we both know he doesn't employ humans."

Chakwas gave him a sad smile "A very good question indeed, but that was not all we discovered. Each anomaly we found is actually a very small secondary node which exists between her skin's endodermis and muscles; and they are more numerous and scattered throughout her body. These secondary nodes have some element zero in them, but for the most part consists of some sort of highly compacted organic metal. Although, what their purpose is, is still unknown. Another thing the in depth DNA scanners picked up is that her genetic structure is far more complex than a normal human beings. Our scanners didn't pick it up because her human DNA seemed normal, and that is all we were looking at, at the time." Chakwas paused while she switched to the view of Christine's DNA model. "Here is an example of a normal human DNA strand," She looked at Shepard and he nodded for her to continue "Here is what we discovered of her DNA." Chakwas hit a button and suddenly the 3D floating DNA strand seemed to be overlapped by multiple other strands, all connected at the centre.

Shepard gaped at the shear multitude of intertwined strands. It looked like a solid piece of rope instead of two separate strings with a central ladder. "How many strands are in there? How is that even possible?" he finally said in a hushed voice.

"From our initial estimates, a few hundred different strands. We have identified a few animals and sentient races from all over the galaxy, but they are all ancient strands. How anyone even had viable DNA for some of the species is beyond me. Some of the strands we identified include ancient Asari, Turion, Krogan and even Neanderthal man. We sent the results off to a specialist for complete mapping. But the initial results state that 99% of the strands are dormant for some reason."

Shepard just looked more confused than before at this new information. "Why in the world would Saren need an ancient walking DNA vault? I would have believed if he was trying to make some kind of weapon with the biotics and nerve grafting, even the organic metal makes some kind of sense, but this?" he was shaking his head before he pulled his hand over his face.

Chakwas could only give him a sympathetic smile in return. "I understand your confusion Commander, but that is the best we found out. I'm hoping that this will at least partially satisfy the Council. The good doctor also corroborated my findings on her not having any genetic meddling to her human genes, none of the other basic and mandatory vaccines that everyone has access to and, most of all, the trace elements in her system and hair which she could only have gotten from years of living in an environment filled to the brim with long banned processing chemicals. It's as solid a case as we could deliver to the Council on her origins I guess, along with her confirmed ID from the Earth archives." She exhaled a heavy breath, still trying to wrap her mind around all the different results and what she would need to present to the Council the next day. They sat there and discussed a few more of the findings before they had what they hoped to be good proof of Christine's origins. Almost everything they found on her is way beyond their current medical capabilities, while her body's chemical composition basically screams old Earth. Afterwards Chakwas checks in on Christine and informs the nurse on duty that she must be very careful and gentle when she wakes up again, as she will most likely still be scared and confused. Once all the details were covered, Chakwas went straight to bed, _Tomorrow is another long day_ she mused to herself.

 _Fear._ All her dreams now had fear as the strong undercurrent that was trying to sweep her out to sea, trying to drown her in its embrace. Whispered voices and screams swimming around her. _*The landscape was burnt and had rubble everywhere, strange but damaged buildings still visible in the distance, smoke bellowing upwards from fires all over. The machines and their hordes running rampant through the deserted streets. Soldiers holding a defensive line. Flashes of scenes of places, then a planet and a zoom out view of its location, a Reaper….- Yes, that's what their called, Reapers- was in the foreground. She is supposed to know this place, it's so familiar yet it is not. Then a lab with different aliens, ones she hasn't seen yet but somehow knew who they were, even if they were not completely clear to her. She was standing upright, strapped into a devise._

 _One of them speaks and she understands their strange language "It is not ready, we risk losing the specimen if we do the data transfer now." It speaks in a deep voice. The one next to it pays the comment no mind and replies in turn. "The weapon is needed on the front lines, we cannot wait for your convenience. Our people are dying far faster than we are driving the enemy back. We must know if this works before we duplicate it on our best soldiers. Begin the transfer immediately." The one with the deep voice sags his shoulders "As you wish General, but you must know that there is a chance that the data will not take immediate effect. Results may thus also not be immediate, and only triggered with direct harm to the unit itself." The other just nods as he steps to a console to his side, before pain shoots through her head from a wire at the base of her skull. She hears a blood curtailing scream, but realises it's her own scream.*_

Christine shoots up from her bed still screaming the same pain stricken scream. It takes her a few seconds to realise she isn't in that lab anymore and there is no more pain. She is covered in sweat and panting. The nurse runs over to check on her, but she quickly shy's away from any contact and doesn't answer any questions. After the nurse scans her and decides that it is nothing life threatening, she leaves her to calm down by sitting at the desk while giving her comforting words. Christine just curls up in a ball and starts rocking back and forth while silently crying, not listening to anything that was said or asked of her.

By the time Chakwas got to the med-bay the next morning, she was fuming inside. The Council wanted Christine to attend the meeting personally, as they wanted to ask her some questions themselves. She made sure in no uncertain terms that they knew she was not going to go with this until a psychologist has seen Christine and declared her mentally fit for such a task, and that the doctor would need to see her on the ship and not the station. They reluctantly agreed and have arranged a human psychologist to come by later that morning. She now just had to see how Christine was doing this morning and inform her of the appointment. Although she is at least glad that they finally gave in to her demands, to make them listen used up the last thread of her patience.

When the doors opened, she could see Christine awake and curled up on her bed, eyes puffy and red from tears, but her expression was blank while she stared out at a spot on the wall in front of her. All of Chakwas's anger drained from her at the sight, replaced by empathy and sadness. She approached her slowly while talking calmly "Christine? How are you feeling today?" The night cycle nurse was already swapped out and the new nurse was waiting behind Chakwas with a datapad with the nights results. Christine didn't respond and only looked in her direction wither eyes when her name was mentioned, before returning her vigil of the wall. It pulled at Chakwas' heartstrings to see her like this, with hollow and empty eyes, underlined with such sadness and fear. She was clearly much worse off than the last time she was in a similar state. _This will take a long time…._

Christine was moping in her own mind, trying not to think too much. Every time she started to let her mind wonder, she thought of all that she has done, all that she lost; being blank was far more preferable. All she knew was that every time she became scared, she hurt people, and her dreams were proof enough to her that she was made into this monster, made into a weapon. If she could stay away from people, she'll be fine. Although she didn't know how she was going to do that if everyone will be after her because she has no record or of the weapon she could become for them. She is still deeply terrified of the other species around her, but she knew on the Normandy she is safe from those individuals that would harm her, and that was the only reason she could calm down enough to get her logical brain working again and not just cower like a little child from the boogieman under her bed.

She heard Chakwas talk about a psychologist coming along later, but she didn't feel like talking. She barely touched her breakfast, only eating because she knew she had to get something into her system, not from hunger. She had no will left in her, no future that she could see herself happy in…

In the Council chambers, the various doctors have just finished delivering their reports and answered any questions the councillors had for them. Valern in particular had many questions concerning the various medical marvels they found. Shepard and Chakwas were relieved to find out from the psychologist that Christine was not irreversibly traumatised and it was suggested she remains where she felt safe on the Normandy, only interacting with the limited number of the crew she already knew well enough. He also suggested that she eventually start to learn at least one form of self-defence to help boost her confidence and give her something to fall back on when she feels threatened instead of slipping directly into her self-preservation state, as they have come to call it. The councillors were surprised and impressed with the medical results, saying it proves that Saren was doing some sort of weapon experimentation on her, but not that she was from another time all together. They were not impressed by the psychological report and that it was recommended that she stay on the Normandy until her condition was stabilised; and also that she be registered as an Alliance citizen so she could at least have a record, but also that she could start feeling that she belonged here as a person and not just some experiment.

The Council adjourned for a quick discussion, while Shepard and Chakwas waited anxiously for their verdict. When they re-emerged a few minutes later, they both were holding their breaths. Councillor Tevos was the one that spoke up in her normal neutral and unaffected tone "It is the decision of this council that the human woman, Christine Kruger, be granted council protection and be safeguarded on the Normandy under the command of Commander Shepard, until such a time as her mental condition stabilises so she will not be a threat to other civilians. She is to continue undergoing counselling and be given basic self-defence lessons to aid in this endeavour. She is also to be registered as a citizen of the Alliance with your ambassador. However, we are to be kept up to date of her progress, and as soon as she is mentally fit, is to appear before us for questioning. She will also need to be able to work back to society the time and effort invested in her once she is capable. Her only other option, should she not accept these terms, is to be sent to a psychiatric hospital here on the Citadel. This meeting is concluded. Your Ambassador has been notified that you will be arriving at his office shortly, Commander." The Councillors turned around after this and left.

Sheppard and Chakwas both sighed with relief while walking down the stairs towards the elevator, animatedly starting to talk about all they needed to do now that things were sorted out. Once back on the Normandy, they waited for Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina to arrive to finalise the last details they needed. Christine has calmed down enough to at least follow instructions at this point, but still didn't want to talk. Once they arrived, Udina made it plenty clear that he is not happy with their decision at registering someone that they knew next to nothing about. "Now, let us meet this 'new citizen' so we can arrange her basic personal information. She needs a history of some kind at least, can't just have her jump into existence with no origin or place of birth." Udina said in his usual snide and pompous voice.

Once the four of them enter the med-bay, Christine looks up from her seat at the desk, now once again dressed in the typical colonial overall. Her face was still expressionless and her eyes empty. Beforehand they opted that Anderson or Chakwas do most of the talking, as they were the calmer of the four of them, and hopefully able to coax the needed information out of her. Chakwas decided to begin with the introductions. "Christine, this is Captain David Anderson and Ambassador Donel Udina; they have a few basic questions for you so we can register you as a citizen and prevent any further confusions whenever you are off of the ship." Christine surprised everyone by actually nodding to the newcomers and Chakwas's statement, al be it still with no words.

Anderson took this as a good sign and stepped up next to her with a chair and a datapad. "Good to see you are all right after everything, I hope we can do this quickly and then we will be out of your hair." he said with a smile. She still merely looked at him, but did not shy away at least. After clearing his throat he continued "Al right then, Chakwas told us that you said you are 25 now, so we will put your birth year as 2158, what date would you have us put it on? You are of the lucky few that get to pick their birthday." He said jokingly, but she didn't even smile at that, instead, she took the datapad he was using to record her details and started filling in all the gaps they had left without a word. Once she was done she handed it back to him and just stared out into nothingness.

"Hmmmm, very good. So this will be you history from now on. Born on Earth, was an orphan from a young age, don't know who your parents are and took to being a tech on a merchant ship to the colonies when you were 18, before you were attacked by pirates and escaped in an escape pod, where the Normandy rescued you. Now you should remember these details, as it won't help if you give people other information than what they can find on the system. We will of course get you a copy of this information, but you will need to memorise it as soon as possible child. Once the doctors say you are good to go, we can start discussing what kind of job you would like to do, so we can get you on the road to standing on your own two feet. Now isn't that something to look forward to?" he kept his smile on the whole time, but she just nodded when he finished as a form of thanks and then just looked down at her hands.

Udina then took the datapad and perused it for himself to make sure they have everything that they needed. "Hmmm, this is acceptable, I will get her registered. Now if you will excuse me, I have other appointments to keep. Anderson, I will see you in my office in an hour. Good day to you." They all filed out after that, leaving Christine to herself.

 _What do I do now…. At least I'm a person on their systems now, but what do I do with myself… I am no good with the tech of this day and age, heck I can barely work a computer for an extranet search. Even if they sort out my mental state, what will I do for a living… whatever I knew is now obsolete._ She sighed to herself and let her head drop into her hands on the table. _Just take it one step at a time, Christi, one step and one day at a time. These people actually want to help you, least you can do is give them a chance._


	8. Chapter 8: Finding Trust Again

_**Hey everyone! I would just like to thank the reviews, fav's and follows once more, especially Toothless is Best for continued and longest support. Also much love to my Beta :Commander Ray, for helping smooth out some scenes and general spelling and grammar. So without further**_ ** _adieu, here is the next chapter. Enjoy =^^=_**

Chapter 8: Finding Trust Again

 _Devastation, destruction…. Anger, fear, hate and hopelessness._ This is all she feels in her dreams, but they weren't just her emotions and memories. Some were put there somehow, and the alien with the deep voice became a more prominent feature throughout. _He seems to be the lead scientist for whatever they did to me….. every time something was done to me that I remember, he was there…._

Each dream started with the destruction, other aliens and cities; before she saw the planet with the reaper and then the next part of the dream would begin _. *"What is the weapons progress, the Emperor wants an update report." Came the general's words, from where she slowly opens her eyes, looking once more out of a pod with orange tainted glass, standing vertically and restrained to its inner flat surface. "We will begin with the graft and node implants in a few minutes, the specimen must be awake for this; the nanites cannot work effectively if the body is sedated. We have tested its healing capability thoroughly, it takes some time but works sufficiently for the procedure. We must however still take our time for each graft to heal before we continue, or risk losing the specimen from the injuries we will inflict." Came the response from the scientist. Her heart starts to race in fear from those words._

 _The General nods and gives the go-ahead for the procedure as an alarm goes off on one of the terminals. "Ah, it is awake and seems to comprehend our words; good. This means the data transfer was successful. You can add that to your report to the Emperor, General. Now, if you will excuse me; I have a delicate procedure to perform." The general nods at the scientist and leaves the room. A device with multiple small arms moves over the pod, while the pod shifts to the horizontal. She wants to scream, but no sound leaves her mouth, fear crippling her. The glass opens up and she can see multiple sharp ends and tweezers at the end of the arms, along with an injector with a swirling metallic substance. She feels her eyes go wide as the machine moves over her._

 _"_ _Beginning procedure now." Was all she heard before the machine came down on her left arm and started to cut into the skin from the fingertips. She bit down on her tongue to stop a scream, muffling the noise through clenched teeth while breathing heavily, but the machine didn't stop at just cutting into her fingers. Eventually she let out her screams of horrified pain after she practically bit her tongue off, as she watched her hand being cut into precise ribbons that hung around the bones, while another arm collected all her blood that dripped down, to feed it back to her from her right arm after passing through a machine. Once the flesh was sufficiently parted, the tweezers and syringe came to bare; first pulling the shreds of flesh into position, before the needle precisely laid out the liquid metal onto her nerves before it was pulled back together and sewn together again. Her screams didn't stop even after her voice stopped working. While her left hand was being put back together, a different black metallic fluid was injected along with her blood. She could feel the cold liquid move through her system and disperse, but most seemed to be directed at her damaged hand and her head, keeping her from passing out from the pain somehow. She saw her hand had already started to heal up a bit, and could feel her tongue starting to heal as well._

 _It was then that a second wave of pain hit her, as it felt like each nerve ending in that hand was set on fire. She writhed from the pain but was strapped down so tightly she couldn't move, while the machine moved up to her arm and started the process from her wrist to her elbow. "Procedure going to plan so far, nanites are integrating the graft interface and healing has been kick-started. Moving on to the rest of the left arm…."*_

Christine practically jumped out of the bed landing on her bum on the floor, screaming once more, panting, sweating and hair in disarray from her rolling around. She scurried off to the nearest corner and pressed her back to it and curled up into a ball, hugging herself and rocking back and forth. The on duty nurse came running to her side, checking and asking if she was ok. Christine didn't hear a thing or even register that the nurse was touching her. Her brain still caught up in her dream mixed with the reality, only slowly registering that she was being shaken by the shoulder by a very concerned nurse. In a split second reality came into sharp focus for her once more. "-tine? Christine? Are you all right? What happened?" she stared at the nurse, still panting, and then looked at her left hand. _I'm ok, I'm ok…. Hand not shredded…. It was just a dream._ "It was just a dream, a bad dream… just a dream ….. justadream" she said in breathless whispers between lungful's of air. The nurse tried to help calm her down with reassuring and comforting words. Once she had calmed down enough, she told about this particular dream; "Th-They…. Did the ex-experiments on me… said I was a weapon ….. machine….. horrible machine with many arms….. cut hand in shreds…. I was awake… saw and felt it all…. Injected something metal…. Burn… felt like hand was burning….. sewn back up….. they made sure I stay awake…. Then to rest of arm…. Same thing… then I wake up…" the nurse gave her a sympathetic smile and said she understands the reaction now. At first Christine's reaction was distraught but when the nurse returned with some calming medication, she slapped the helping hand away, pulling away from any contact. "No! no more meds…. No more sleep… I'm a monster…. Must stay away from all… too dangerous…. Must stay away…"

Christine never got more than 4 hours sleep each night, and there was no way she could get back to sleep after waking up like that. Even if they medicated her to sleep, she would wake up from another bad dream mere hours later, and she wasn't sure she wanted to go through with that right now. The dreams were becoming more vivid as well. The first ones were disjointed snippets that mixed with normal dreams at the end. These were more like actual memories with real pain as if it was happening to her at that moment. Dreams weren't supposed to hurt… All this and the past few day's happenings was wearing her thin. The nurse had decided that she can do nothing more if the patient didn't want any medication and this was not life threatening, and so had gone back to her duties once Christine had finished telling her about the dream, leaving her to mill over whether or not it was a dream or an actual memory of what happened to her during that long time where everything was fuzzy. She tucked her head under her arms and started to sob silently. _I'm just a monster…._

When Chakwas came in to her med-bay the morning, she found Christine huddled in a corner, head hidden away from the world. The nurse's report didn't do much to alleviate any fears on her mental condition. She was afraid something like this may happen. The brain has odd ways of handling trauma, often choosing to forget everything instead of dealing with it at that moment. But these memories can sometimes resurface in the subconscious mind when asleep, and that is exactly what is happening now… and worst possible timing, after the day she went through before this…. _This will take a lot of work, poor child._

When Chakwas approached Christine and extended a hand towards her, she snapped her head up so fast, it looked like she should get whiplash from it, but her face was hard and blank, even a little angry; with her red puffy eyes from crying most of the night again. "No! St-stay away! I don't want to hurt anyone else!" she yells frantically, trying to crawl further into the corner than she already is.

Chakwas retracts her hand a little and stands still, going down in a crouch to be eyelevel with her. "It's alright dear, you're safe here. There is no need to be afraid any more. You haven't hurt anyone here before and I believe wholeheartedly that you are not about to start hurting anyone now." She says warmly and sincerely, keeping her hand held out, but just far enough so Christine has to reach out herself if she wants it. She stares at the offered hand, then looks at the doctor, and then back at the hand.

She replies so softly that Chakwas could have missed it if the med-bay wasn't so quiet at this moment "So far only you doc…" before she reaches out with a tentative and shaky hand. Once she takes her hand, she pulls Christine up, making them both stand, and pulled her into tight hug. Christine just buries her face in Chakwas's shoulder and breaks down crying. "I can't do this….. I'm just a monster… I hurt so many, ….. in my dreams…. they just call me a specimen or weapon…. I'm not a person any more, just a _thing!_ ….. They methodically tore me apart with machines and _remade_ me to what they wanted. I saw it all….. putting _data_ in my head with wires through my neck into my brain… cutting me up…. no anaesthetic … then injecting me with _something_ like liquid metal….. then sowing me back together…. It hurt so much… I screamed my lungs out but they never once stopped….. never stopped….." she rambles on while Chakwas guides her to one of the beds, sitting her down but keeping her in a tight embrace and listening. The last part both intrigues and appals her at the same time, as it's the first sign that she remembers what happened to her. Maybe now they can start to figure out what was done with her and, though that, figure out how best to help her.

"There, there dear. It's over now. Your safe here and we aren't going to let anyone take you away and hurt you ever again, alright? Could you tell me who these people were? So we know who to look out for." Chakwas tried to sooth the girl as well as get some information. Any idea of who did this to her besides Saren, might help them figure out what scientists he is using, and through that, perhaps track them down. But the answer she gets is anything but what she expected.

Christine sniffs before she lifts her head a bit before she answers "Don't know them…. Never seen them before, not even in the species lists on the extranet… they have big, tapered heads and four yellow eyes….. dark greenish skin…and three fingered hands…. The one in my dream is a general that checked on progress,….. the other is some scientist 'coz he's always there when the experiments are done…. or procedures…. or … whatever they called it…. Said they needed it done and tested before they did the same to their own soldiers… I was their genuine pig, doc…. _A freaking lab rat_!" she kept sniffling and sobbing between words, but was more angry at the end of it. Chakwas was stunned into silence, so she just continued with all that she remembered since the floodgates have opened.

"They put 'data' into my brain through a wire in my neck. Talked about an emperor, and an enemy killing their men faster than they could push back…. Then I remember nothing but blackness for a long time with horrible dreams that weren't my own… lots of destruction and something called reapers… then Saren found me somehow… kept asking how I ended up in a Prothean stasis pod in some ruin….. then told the other machines, the one's with flashlight heads, and the Asari to do more experiments on me and test something called indoctrination…. Then I wake up again, not sure how long it was… I broke out of the pod….. killed a machine and took its gun….. ran through the ship… found a plane…. ship….. insect looking thing….. made it out…. they shot me….. crashed on the planet…. and, well…. that's where you found me a few days later doc….. that's everything I remember… happy now?" she finally finished, not crying anymore and a bit edgy and angry. She didn't like talking about it at all, but the memories and dreams were just getting too much to bear on her own and no one understood her ramblings after she wakes up from her dreams. Now they knew at least and maybe they could make sense of it all and stop whoever did this.

Chawkas was still stunned silent after the deluge of information, especially since there was so much they didn't know before. And it sounded like she had some of the same dreams/visions as Shepard, but he got them from a Prothean beacon….. if what she said is true…. Protheans must have been the ones to do the initial experiments on her and not Saren. It took a few seconds for her to gather herself and answer the now slightly angry girl. "Thank you for that, dear. That ….. was quite the revelation. Will you be alright for a while without me? I'll bring you breakfast and then I need to do a few things."

"Ok…" came the meek reply. Her anger suddenly deflated in that the doctor just accepted her dreams as fact without question. She was sure they would think her crazy. The doctor gave her another warm smile before she left. A short while later she came back with her breakfast before she left again for several hours.

Chakwas took some time to collect her thoughts and then went to find Shepard, only to find out he was taking care of a few things on the Citadel before they would leave for presumably a few weeks. No real leads to Saren have presented themselves so far, so they could deal with smaller issues from the Alliance for now. She sent him a message asking him to meet with her urgently along with Dr. T'Soni in the debriefing room. She collected the doctor and headed up with the elevator to wait for Shepard to return.

15 Minutes later and the Commander showed up with Garrus and Ashley behind him. "Your message sounded real urgent doc, we came as soon as we could. What's going on?" he asked concerned. Chakwas greeted them with a nod before she motioned for everyone to take a seat, which they did.

"I'm afraid the situation with Christine is far more complicated than we first believed, I now believe that Saren was not the one that did the initial experiments on her, but rather he found her as she is now and merely tried to figure out what she is by cruder methods than us before she escaped." She paused to let it sink in what she was implying. Everyone in the room looked at each other with worry and concern before they looked back at her, but only Shepard broke the silence.

"What did you find out doc? Did she talk to you?" Chakwas took a deep breath before she looked up at him.

"Commander, she is reliving what happened to her in her subconscious with dreams, and so, slowly remembering. This does however have the downside of traumatising her further as what they did to her is frankly barbaric." She started to retell them what Christine said she dreamed was done to her, their faces twisting in various forms of disgust and winces; even Garrus, a seasoned cop that has seen many a gruesome scene, turned his head away and closed his eyes from the mental image it created for a few seconds; thinking once again of Dr. Saleon and his 'employees', but at least they got anaesthetics. For anyone to have lived through that was torture and just horrific.

"Was she able to identify who it was that did the experiments?" Garrus finally asked with a voice laced with anger. But Chakwas held up a hand to forestall any further questions from the group.

"That is where the problem comes in. Commander, do you remember how you described the beacon visions when you first woke up?" she asks.

"Of course I do doc, you don't just forget images like that, that were burned into your head. I still get headaches trying to figure them out." he rubs his head absentmindedly as he answers. "But what does my visions have to do with what she is dreaming?"

"Because, Commander, what she explained preceded all of her dreams thus far is very similar to what you described as your vision; down to the point of her mentioning Reapers without any of us ever mentioning it to her, and this is confirmed by her brainwave scans that are similar to yours Commander, from every night she dreamed and woke up screaming; which is practically every night." Everyone in the room looked stunned at the revelation.

"You mean she also had a run-in with a beacon somewhere?" came Ashley's question.

"No, Chief, I don't think so. Because when she described the aliens that did this to her, they didn't match any description we have of sentient races. In fact, she mentioned two individuals; a general, who checked up on the status of the 'weapon's' development for an emperor; and a lead scientist that seemed to perform all the experiments on their 'specimen'. When I did a general search for the description she gave me, I found one result." Chakwas pulled up her omni-tool and the large screen on the wall lit up with the picture of a bust statue.

Liara gave a gasp. "That's the bust of Janiri, in the temple of Athame on Thessia. He brought enlightenment from Athame to Thessia long ago. How can she describe him without ever having seen him?"

"I believe it is because the ones that did this to her were Protheans. She said Saren must have found her because he questioned her on why she was in a Prothean stasis pod in one of their ruins and, not only does she vividly describe the beacon's vision, but also the Reapers themselves. She also mentioned that they were talking about her as a weapon that must be tested before they duplicate it with their soldiers; that were losing the battle faster than they could push back the enemy. Now I don't presume to know what Proteans look like, but her descriptions lead me to believe it must have been them. This is also where you come in Dr. T'Soni. When she is more trusting of you again, and allows it, I would like for you to mind meld with her to corroborate the beacon vision and any other information since you are the Prothean expert here. But only if you are both willing, I will not force any of you to do this if you don't want it. And I am not saying this is what Proteans looked like, merely that this is roughly what she described." She motioned to the display with a waving hand as she finished. When she turned around, the room was in stunned silence.

Garrus was the one to break the silence this time a few seconds later "Do you really think she will ever be mentally stable enough to go through a mind meld doc? And wouldn't it cause her to be more traumatised to relive the images again?" he asked concerned. The woman has been through enough as it is.

Chakwas gave him a soft smile before answering "There is a possibility, but I will be sure to explain everything to her so she can make an informed choice. But she is reliving these visions every night when she dreams already, Vakarian, but hopefully we can learn something from it this time around.. Since we also don't have any leads on Saren's activities at this point, we might be able to gleam some information through that as well; but for now, it is out of the question."

She glanced at the people seated around the briefing room before she continued. "On a different note, all of you will help with her rehabilitation, as she was comfortable with you before the recent incidents. Williams, you are here because you will be teaching her some basic self-defence; Dr. T'Soni because she is our resident Prothean expert and Christine will need to be used to her for the meld; the Commander and myself are currently the only people she is willing to talk to and Vakarian because she accepted his presence when we rescued her at C-Sec, indicating at least some level of trust, and we will try and use that to once again get her more comfortable with other species. We will proceed at the pace that her psychologist suggests after her weekly evaluation, probably via vid-comm. Any further questions?" None seem to be forthcoming and she nodded at them. "Good, then you can be dismissed." Ashley left but Garrus and Shepard remained to talk to Chakwas.

"So doc, that was quite the bombshell. How should we go about her trust issues at the moment? Since I guess she won't be doing and talking to anyone else but you and me for now and she won't be doing CQC or talking to Garrus any time soon?" Shepard asked.

Chakwas considered it for a moment before she answered "The best we can do now is make sure she knows she is safe here, and talk to her as much as possible; being careful to note if she is getting uncomfortable with our presence or irritated. Exposure is her best way to start adapting right now. Once she is comfortable with our presence, we can start bringing in Ashley and then Liara, and lastly Garrus; and only after that can she begin any activities outside the med-bay."

Guarrus mulls over those words before he asked his question "But what makes you think she even tolerates my presence, doc? She didn't recognise me back at C-Sec, in fact, you and Shepard are the only ones she did have any positive reaction to."

Chakwas smiled at him again but Shepard looked questioningly at her as well. "The big giveaway, Garrus, was that she didn't lash out at you even if she didn't register you consciously, while you guided us back to the Normandy. That at least means she knows you wouldn't hurt her, and right now, that is an advantage I'm going to use to help establish trust with her. When a person is that traumatised, trust is hard enough to build and highly valued." Both men nod in understanding, they ask a few more questions on how things will proceed before all three of them leave the briefing room to go about their duties. Chakwas made a vid call to the psychologist to establish a few things and booking for regular consultation times. Once she was sure she had everything she needed to know she returned to the med-bay to start the slow treatment and rehabilitation of her now permanent patient for the foreseeable future.

Once they leave the Citadel, the next few days go by in a set routine for Christine. She would wake up from her nightmares in the early morning hours, but the dreams only repeated what she had already experienced. She would take a shower to help calm down, then wait for Chakwas to come in and they would have breakfast together with Shepard, while talking about anything and everything. She wouldn't say much but she saw what they were doing and it was working. She was slowly becoming more comfortable in their presence and talking more. She would spend the rest of her mornings reading up on everything in this new galaxy, and then have lunch with the doc and Ashley. It was refreshing to learn that people were still religious even with all the aliens, tech and space exploration. Christine wasn't that overly religious, she is a scientist after all, so she didn't delve that deep into the topic. The memorised poetry was a different matter, and she enjoyed listening to it and any other stories of Ashley's life, especially her mother that was a planetary geologist. She asked as many questions as Ashley was able to answer on the topic. It was good to feel like she was having a normal conversation with an average person. After lunch was some physiotherapy to help with her recovering muscle mass and strength, before she would take an afternoon nap, exhausted from the little sleep she normally got and the exercise. Dinner was more subdued with only Chakwas being in attendance, after which she could do what she wanted until bedtime. She normally ended up reading up on topics she learned about during the day.

After a few days of this, she heard Shepard talk about a mission they had to take care of some Geth outposts. This must have been when Chakwas took some supplies out of the med-bay earlier the previous day, and Christine instantly felt bad that she was basically keeping other people from getting treatment the med-bay, just because she was so mentally fragile right now. She felt mad at herself for being such a burden and was determined to make herself useful as soon as she could; and not let a little fear keep her caged in herself. She asked what Geth were, he explained that it is the name for the AI's with the flashlight heads. Chakwas also started to bring in Liara more often after that, and eventually the two of them would discuss her findings on Protheans over a cup of tea each in the afternoon. From Chakwas's point of view, everything was going smoothly with getting Christine to come out of her shell again, but she was careful not to push her too hard, even if the girl now seemed determined to push herself much harder. After her second appointment with her psychologist, he said she was doing well and suggested that they could continue with their plan and start introducing a few more people for her to interact with, as well as teaching how to work with tech a bit better to give credibility to her backstory. So Chakwas decided to kill two birds with one stone, and bring in Kaidan for her to talk to.

The morning Chakwas introduced Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, Christine smiled at him in greeting. He seemed a bit shy at first but was really a nice guy. She was just glad to have someone else to talk to and this meant that they thought she was progressing enough to bring in more people for her to talk and get used to. _One more step to not being a useless, scared ball in the corner. I can do this… I can become more that just some freak show science experiment. And if Chakwas believes I will learn how not to hurt others when scared, I won't let my fear stop me and I won't disappoint._

Kaidan and her hit it off right off the bat. Conversation came easy around him as he was a similar shy and withdrawn personality than herself. From now on her mornings after breakfast included a few hours of talk with Kaidan and he started to teach her a few things about the tech of this time. She was a quick learner and was determined to assimilate all the information they gave her. They even got her an omni-tool of her own so she could practice working with the tech and go through tech manuals for everyday things things that she should know if she worked on ships. She impressed everyone by adapting some tech to help charge her archaic phone, which she mainly used to listen to music while reading. Kaidan then helped her to adapt a wire so she could download all her information from the phone to a terminal, from which she loaded it onto her omni-tool and no longer needed to use her phone for music. On the outside, Shepard and his ground team went on missions every other day, always coming back with someone having some minor injuries for Chakwas to fix. Christine was captivated by the exciting stories he would tell in their morning sessions, even if it was just to go to the surface to find some minerals or artefact. In two weeks, she was given the go-ahead to continue her rehabilitation.

Chakwas had informed her of the different steps they would go through in the process. She was most apprehensive about this one. She knew she had to get over her irrational fear of Turians if she was to become a member of the greater galactic community, but was held back by her fear of not just what Saren had done to her, but that she might once again lash out at someone accidentally. And she hated the thought of being so afraid that she would hurt someone again. _Ok, breathe Christi. You can do this. Chakwas is here so no need to be afraid of Garrus. Hell, he was the one to stop the interrogations and stand up for you until Chakwas got there. He's a good guy._ She calmed herself internally and waited patiently.

When the med-bay doors opened with Chakwas and Garrus entering, she tensed up and sat straighter, keeping an eye on him as he moved over the threshold. He stood at parade rest, trying to look as non-threatening as he could, mandibles flicking slightly while Chakwas talked, but he looked nervous as well; but she couldn't be sure what it was. "Christine, you remember Garrus, don't you?" Christine just nodded, not trusting her voice to sound as neutral and unaffected as she wanted it to be, and Chakwas continued "He will be stopping by every morning after you have your lessons with Kaidan. He also knows a few things about tech and when you feel up to it, he can teach you as well." she said with a warm smile. Christine nodded again and took a deep calming breath. _It's now or never, suck it up and show them you're not afraid._

She got up from her seat at the desk and walked up to him with a weak and nervous smile, but did not stop until she was in front of him; both Chakwas and Garrus looking on a bit stunned at her sudden boldness. "H-Hi. N-nice to meet you again, Garrus. Sorry for being so much trouble for everyone…." She started to say, but didn't know what else to add, so she just extended a tentative hand in greeting. He looked perplexed at her for a few seconds before he shook her hand in the human gesture of greeting.

"Hi Christine. Nice to meet you again as well. Uhm… and it's no trouble, really." He stammered a little, looking nervous and not knowing what to say. He saw what she did to the officers back at C-Sec and didn't want to be the cause for her to freak out again. He was ignorant of it once before and was determined not to cause it again. he was sure he could handle the physical aspect if she attacked, but knew it would set them back on her mental recovery. _Come on Vakarian, think! You have to say something. … wait, didn't Chakwas say she was learning tech?_ "So….. uhm, I hear you've been learning about our tech. If you want, I could.. uh.. teach you a few things too?" internally he face-palmed himself for how stupid it sounded, but she didn't seem to mind and gave a shy smile.

"Sure, that'd be nice." She said while fiddling with the hem of her shirt, not looking him in the eye. Chakwas was smiling from her corner at the two. Christine is doing better than expected, making the first move; and even if Garrus isn't particularly articulate and obviously nervous, having them spend time together while he teaches her, is the best way she can think for her to feel more comfortable with him and take one more step on the road to recovery and normalcy. Well as normal as life could be for her one day given what has happened to her. But Chakwas had good intuition in these things, and just knew that Christine will be just fine. She noticed while watching Garrus begin to explain some basics about modern electronics and programming, they had both relaxed a little in the other's presence already and were instead focusing on the task at hand. _Yes, she is going to be just fine._


	9. Chapter 9: I'm not Useless

Hey everyone. Sorry it's a bit late but life happens and so I decided to make it one big chapter instead of two smaller ones. Enjoy, rant, comment and review please. =^^=

Thanks to Commander Ray for being my beta.

Chapter 9: I'm not useless

 _BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP….._

 _An alarm?... Since when did I have an alarm?_ Christine swatted at her omni-tool to turn off the offending noise. She slowly opened her eyes to the same med-bay bed she had occupied for just over a month. Sure she was sick of this room by now, but she would follow doctor's orders this time and take her recovery at the pace they said she should. She looked at her omni-tools chronometer and it was 6:30am ship time, and she remembered setting the alarm last night while playing around with some of the settings, not thinking it would actually wake her. _I haven't slept a full night since Earth…. Earth… No! Not thinking of that…. No, the past is the past. Can't change that. Can only go forward now. Besides, I love my new routine; so much to learn every day, so many people to talk to. If I keep this up doc said I should be cleared to leave the med-bay during the day and mingle with the rest of the crew!_ This made her smile and bring out her normal happy-go-lucky attitude she used to have before all this craziness, with a touch meh-whatever-happens. But she was really happy to have slept through the night for once and it left her with a spring in her step. She greeted the night cycle nurse and quickly left to take a shower, and for the first time some of the other female crew were there as well. She didn't talk to them, but she wasn't a stranger to communal girl's showers, school and university camping trips of various kinds will do that to you. She did get a few strange looks though, but once they realised she was ignoring them, they shrugged it off and did the same.

In the mirror she noticed that she had gotten her old muscle tone back minus the little bit of fat every average person had from her time, not that that's saying much, she was never that fit to begin with. _Well Chakwas did say my physiotherapy is done and I can start normal excesses. That will probably be Ashley's job before we start the self-defence training. That means it won't be that long before I'm not a useless burden any more_ She shrugged to herself and finished dressing, heading back to the med-bay just in time to meet Chakwas for her usual 7:00 breakfast, ignoring the mess hall full of people to her left as if it was an everyday thing for her, while some looked up and stared at her for her short journey. _Just like walking on campus with arms full of rocks._ Chakwas seemed surprised at her for some reason once she entered, but didn't say anything until they finished breakfast, Christine also noticed that Shepard wasn't present but presumed he could be out on an early morning mission. "So, Christine, I see you took a late shower today. What made you change your routine?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"It was actually decided for me doc. I slept through the night for a change. If I didn't set my alarm last night to see how it worked, you would have woken me up when you came in with breakfast." Christine smiled back at the doctor and gestured with her hands at the now empty plates. "So I just took a later shower than normal."

Chakwas smiled at her but seemed concerned "It didn't bother you to be around other people you don't know?"

"Not any more doc. I was used to walking around on campus between lots of people I don't know. I'm just becoming more of my old self and not caring what they think. They don't know me, I don't know them; so there is nothing to judge each other on. Besides, I'm not going to be some hermit stuck in a mountain all on my own. I want to be useful." She chuckled, getting up and taking their plates. "Where to with these doc?"

"No, it's fine. I'll take these back. You have your appointment with your psychologist this morning. I'm sure he would be glad to hear your sleeping better and have no issues with other humans at least. Maybe your afternoon session with Ashley will be in the cargo bay instead of stuck in here all the time." She said with a warm smile while getting up, genuinely happy. Christine stared at her for a second before a huge grin broke out on her face and she jumped up in the air making all sorts of overjoyed noises, before they both ended up laughing at her antics. "I can see you are quite ready to leave the med-bay. Don't worry, soon you'll be able to sleep with the rest of the crew and be able to wonder most of the ship. Now, let me take these and then set up your vid-call."

Her appointment went great! She just had to meet with the last two aliens on board and, if all went well, she would have the freedom to roam decks two and three, but not engineering, as she wished. She would also have to go through the mind meld with Liara, but she was too happy to care right now. She was to meet a Quarian now, and later a Krogan. She had read up as much as she could about their people so she would have a better idea of what to expect. But the doc didn't seem too worried about the meetings, so she felt relaxed about it.

The med-bay doors soon slid open and a relatively short female in a purple and grey suit with a glass helmet covering her face stepped in. Her legs were bent like that of the Geth, parts of her suit looked like it had machine parts and she had two toes and three fingers. She looked nervous, wringing her hands over one another. "H-hi, Dr. Chakwas asked for me." She said in way of greeting, her soft voice distorted by her mask speakers. Chakwas welcomed her in and gestured for her to sit across the desk from Christine, before formally introducing them.

"Christine, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, our Quarian engineer and tech support in the field. She is also our resident Geth expert. Tali, this is Christine Kruger, our resident time traveling human." She explained warmly and they all chuckled at the description of Christine's occupation. The conversation started awkward, neither really knowing what to talk about until the mention of ships came up. Christine had learned enough by now to keep up with what Tali was explaining, and even asked some questions on how certain aspects related to one another when she was explaining new developments or ideas she has. She even started to show her the basics of hacking. This continued for near two hours before Tali had to leave for her shift in engineering.

"Well, I'd say that went rather well dear. Now all you need to do is get over the scariest of the crew and you're as free as a bird. But don't worry too much, he might be big and imposing, but he isn't that bad considering what his people are generally like." Chakwas was smiling ear to ear. She had a few _words_ with Wrex about how he should and _shouldn't_ act during this meeting, with threats of deliberate festering wounds and shotguns to the face for good measure. He doesn't have to like her, just allow her to get used to his presence so she could enter the cargo hold without fear.

After lunch, Christine sat anxiously on the end of her seat while waiting for Chakwas to arrive with Wrex. He was out with Shepard this morning so wasn't available earlier. At least she could ask him what happened on the mission, she read they liked to talk of their battles. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the med-bay doors opening, and nearly jumped out of her chair when Chakwas spoke to her. "Christine. …. Oh, sorry didn't mean to startle you dear. Are you ready?" she asked with concern and a gentle frown on her face.

"Y-yes, sorry doc. Was thinking so hard I didn't hear you come in. I'm ready." She said while rearranging her thoughts. _I'm actually looking forward to this one. It can't be worse that meeting a Turian, can it?_ Her next thoughts were abruptly stopped by a huge lumbering figure in red armour entering the doors. She openly stared at him and was frozen in place. His red eyes focused in on her and he snorted at her, with an air of being unimpressed. Dr. Chakwas came to stand next to Christine as visual support without touching her and gestured for him to take a seat, an unspoken communication goes between them. He obliged while looking very bored by being made to come sit here and chit-chat, while she just followed him with her eyes, not moving a muscle.

"Christine, this is Urdnot Wrex. I'm sure you've heard about him from the others." She just nods, knowing her voice would sound like the squeak of a mouse right now. Chakwas gives her a warm and reassuring smile. "Now I'm sure you have a million questions for him, I'm sure he will be patient with you and answer as far as he can." She throws Wrex a sidelong glare to make sure he will comply. He gives another grunt of irritability but says nothing more.

After a few minutes of silence, Christine still sating at him, he speaks up in his deep and gravely voice "I told doc, this isn't going to work. I smelled fear from her the moment she saw me. She is just like every other pijak seeing a Krogan for the first time. Don't know how you expected her to react differently." He snorts again and leans back in his chair. The doctor gives him another glare before she answers.

"She has no prejudice or preconceptions on Krogan like others, Wrex. Her fear is understandable from your stature; but not from the stories she's heard. You should be grateful that you could make an impression on someone not based on your people's past." She turns back to Christine and puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Now dear, it's all right. There is no need to be afraid of him here. He won't hurt you. Go ahead and ask him a question."

At the touch, Christine jumps and seems to snap out of a trance and looks up at the doctor by her side. She nods and breathes deeply to calm herself just like she was taught, before she gets up from her seat and goes over to the hunk of muscle and red, offering him her hand as greeting and finally speaks in a more neutral tone that even Chakwas was expecting, al be it still shaky. "H-Hi Wrex… I-I would like…. to ….. uhm…. know more about the K-Krogan as a people. … N-not just what t-they say on the extranet." She wasn't sure, but he looked shocked; before he barked out a laugh and shook her hand in his powerful grip, but not crushing her hand.

"Ha! You've got a quad kid! I know plenty of pijak mercs who piss their pants when they first see me and then run away screaming like little girls! Ha ha ha! And here you are, reeking of fear, but getting up anyway to talk to me like it's a normal thing. Now that is bravery! Now I wish you were a Krogan!" he continues laughing a bit more, and even the two women smile at him, even if the one is more in nervous relief. "Now kid, tell me what lies the extranet is spreading about us these days, and I'll tell you what it is to be true Krogan." Christine gave him a more genuine smile, while she took a seat next to him on one of the beds, and started her repetition of the encyclopaedia she read that morning. Every now and then he would stop her and correct her, but otherwise just listened. Once she had finished he started giving her a Krogan's viewpoint on the galaxy and the history he lived through.

Chakwas eventually left them to attend to her duties once she was sure Christine was comfortable enough to do so. The two continued to talk for several hours, once she asked him to tell her about some of the adventures and missions he has been on; she would wench but not seem too bothered about his stories of blood, gore and Krogan honour for money. They eventually stopped for dinner, and this time, Chakwas allowed her to join the crew in the mess, where she just continued to listen to all of Wrex's stories and he only stopped once it was late at night and they both needed to go to bed.

The next day, Chakwas helped Christine move into the crew quarters and introduced her to the people she will be sharing a room with, before she was off to the mess hall for her first tech lessons with first Kaidan and then Tali, outside of the med-bay. They both complimented her on how quickly she learned everything, as she just needed to get something right once before she got the hang of it. It has progressed so far that they were leaving her with 'homework' to practice hacking, damping and encryption. In the afternoon she finally began on her real exercises and basic self-defence moves in the cargo hold. She was given a set of training clothes from Ashley, a grey tank top with black pants. It fit a bit lose on her still skinny frame compared to the muscular marine to whom the clothes belonged, but it was sufficient. Her t-shirt might have been fine for the training, but not the definitely jeans. They started with a warm-up and stretching, also seeing what the current limit of her muscles were not just in strength but overall body flexibility. Their training drew a bit of a crowd, as apparently two girls fighting (or going to fight) each other was a better show than what the marines could see on the vids available. They also had the attention of the local cargo bay residents.

"Where did you learn to bend like that? Most fresh recruits take a few weeks to months to be that flexible for CQC." Ashley asked her out of the blue while they were testing her limits, also noticing the appreciative stares from the mostly male crowd. "And don't you vultures have jobs to do besides ogle at the lady? Scram before I start pulling rank." They both chuckled as the men scattered to their posts, before Christine answered the question.

"I did some ballet and gymnastics as a kid, not long but enough to remember a few things. Then I did some yoga in my last year for both stress relief and exercise. Guess that will have the benefit of being a bit more flexible than average." A silent 'O' came from Ashley's lips, as they started with a few easy punches and blocks. Just like with the tech, Christine seemed to learn the moves very fast, only needing to get it right once for her to remember it, and improving it from that point on while learning all the newer moves. Both Wrex and Garrus noticed the ease with which she was learning all the moves and was more focused on their training session than their jobs.

"Enjoying the show? We can see how much you're staring you know?" Ashley spoke harshly with a bit of venom in her tone, not enjoying the attention. Wrex just snorted at her while Garrus moved back under the mako to remove more bits of Geth after the last outpost they cleaned out; but neither made any further comments. Both knowing that there is more going on than what was being done on the fighting mat. Christine was a bit confused at her tone but didn't get time to say anything as she had to dodge the next punch, and then the next. "You're great at dodging, but you can't just keep running. At some point you will have to fight back." This continued for the next hour, with Ashley showing her a move, and then they would practice its application. By the end of it, Christine was really tired but happy with the change of pace.

Her new routine consisted of morning tech classes from two of her three teachers, Tali, Garrus or Kaidan; while her afternoons were spent doing self-defence training and basic exercises and even started on basic gun use, while her evenings were spent reading and relaxing with some of the crew before bed time. She still had the odd bad dream, but since it was the same recurring dreams, she could even sometimes get back to sleep after she calmed down. Her life seemed to finally find some kind of normal in her daily routine. But it was doomed not to last.

Garrus was concerned, something wasn't right but he couldn't wrap his talons around it. He knew Wrex shared his concern, they both watched as Christine started training and almost immediately picked up on every move. That is after he got over how flexible humans could be, he almost felt sick at the unnatural way she bent when she folded in half to touch her head to her knees, or bent backwards and walked on hands and feet with her stomach facing upwards…. He quickly looked away and busied himself with the mako when he realised her waist was showing. It might not be a problem for humans to show their waists, but it made him uncomfortable to openly look at it. He was glad that Turians don't blush like humans.

After the women were done with their training session and left, Garrus approached Wrex to talk about what they both noticed. They might not be friends per say, but they could at least talk to each other. "Hey Wrex. You got a minute to talk?" he asked bluntly, knowing the Krogan didn't like it if you beat around the bush, whatever that meant. Wrex grunted and nodded at him, so he took it as a good sign to continue, folding his arms over his chest and sinking onto a hip casually. "We both noticed how quickly she learned how to do new moves. Even the best hand-to-hand specialist takes a while to fully learn a new move. What do you think about it?"

Wrex eyed him for a second before he answered with some disdain and a hint of humour "Huh, so you weren't just admiring the view, Turian." He smirked at him "No, she is learning unnaturally fast. She has a warrior's spirit in her, even if she doesn't know it yet; but there is something wrong with this. I would bet money on it." He finishes in a more serious tone. Garrus was clearly taken aback with how much the Krogan talked. He normally kept to himself and this was the most he has said in one go to him since he came aboard, even if it was a bit rude. But he shook the feeling off quickly, they could debate ethics and speech later.

"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one seeing it and not imagining it. I'm going to Shepard now to discuss it. Thanks for the talk Wrex." He clamped his mandibles tight to his face as he turned on a heel to head for the elevator, his brain not wanting to believe he just asked for a Krogan's opinion and got an intelligent answer back. Wrex just nodded at him again before returning to his bored vigil of the hold.

He found Shepard at the CIC, planning a rout to the Sol system for their next mission. "Commander, can I have a word with you concerning an important matter?" he knew Shepard would understand that they needed to talk in private. They had become friends over the last month and got along really well on the battlefield as well.

Shepard nodded at him "Sure, Vakarian. Let's go to my office then." And he headed for the stairs, Garrus following a few steps behind him. Once his quarter's door closed behind them, he turned and looked concerned at his friend. "What's the matter Garrus? You've never come to me with any problems before, so I'm guessing it must be serious." He says while sitting down at his desk, motioning for Garrus to do the same.

While taking a seat he starts with his concerns. "Something's up with Christine but I just can't put my finger on it, as you humans say. She is learning way too fast for it to be natural, with both the physical training she is doing, and the tech lessons she is getting from me, Alenko and Tali'Zorah. Wrex noticed this as well. I'm just not sure what to make of this though." furrowing his brow plates in contemplation, hands clasped on the table.

Shepard gave a hum in agreement and then rested his head on a fist, a sign Garrus has come to realise means he is deep in thought. "You're not the first one to raise the issue Garrus, even doctor Chakwas mentioned it and has been doing a few extra brain scans on her with every check-up. She is still not sure what is causing it, but has picked up abnormally high activity in the areas of the brain associated to memory and learning. All we can think of is that those nerve grafts also help improve nerve interaction in the brain, making it easier to learn for her. But other than that, there is nothing wrong with her, so we just keep an eye on her." Garrus nodded at him in understanding. They talked a bit more on other matters and Garrus gave him the transponder codes for Saleon's ship before he left the office; agreeing to help keep an eye on Christine.

Two more weeks passed and the training showed. She was becoming more muscular and reacted faster to Ashley's jabs, while also having covered marine hand-to-hand. Weapons training also went ok, but her aim was horrible across the board, only being decent at shooting a pistol. On the opposite end of the spectrum the mind meld with Liara didn't go so well. Something about her altered nervous system not allowing for a seamless meld. The few seconds she was in her head confirmed the beacon vision as the same as Shepard's, but a back surge of energy forced them apart before Liara could make more sense of the vision or her dreams. It also left both of the shaken and with massive migraines. So never doing that again.

Almost all of the ground team was currently out except for Tali, so they were busy trying to break an encryption they set up for each other for fun, when Chakwas and a medical team rushed out of the med-bay to the elevator. Both of them stood up and asked what was wrong, and Chakwas answered in a business tone while waiting for the slow elevator to come up to their level "The ground team is about to return with wounded. I'm on my way to meet them as they enter the cargo bay. Please keep the elevator and a path to the med-bay clear for now; I might need to do surgery." She managed to finish before the doors closed.

The two of them shared a worried look before Tali spoke up. "I hope it is nothing serious, it was supposed to be a routine mission." While she fiddled with her hands, nervous. Christine could only give her a sad smile in return as she didn't know if it would be ok. They heard the cargo bay doors open and close before the elevator burst open with three stretchers being hastily hauled to the med-bay with Shepard, Ashley and Garrus on them, the first two unconscious. Chakwas barked orders at her team before they even entered the med-bay. Anxious minutes passed after that, and then an hour, before Garrus came out, one leg in a splint while being helped by one of the medical staff. Both women rushed to him to help and bombard him with questions with what happened.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there. Give a guy some time to answer. The pain meds are making me dizzy enough as it is. Can we discuss this once I sit down at my bunk please… I hate to look at you while the world wants to spin around me…" Christine slipped under his arm opposite the medic to help support him while they walked to the crew quarters. Once he was set down and made comfortable, the medic left them with strict instructions not to bother him for long and to let him rest.

"So what happened out there, it was supposed to be routine pick-up and go?" Christine asked concerned, while Tali nodded behind her. Garrus gave them both a groggy look before he answered.

"Geth ambush at an emergency beacon. A whole crap-ton of them with Rocketeers and Armatures and even a Colossus with no cover in the immediate area. We got most of them by the time the mako couldn't shoot anymore so we took them out on foot. That's how the Commander and Gunnery Chief got a glancing hit while the blast sent me flying. Apparently that gave Wrex and Liara the opportunity to finally take out that blasted last Armature. Doc says they'll be fine, I just got some scratches and a broken leg. Can I go to sleep now? These meds are doing a good job." he talks nearly incoherently, ending in a bit of a slur, and the girls decide to leave him to rest since there was nothing life threatening.

All three were restricted to bed rest for three days to heal properly, so Christine made sure to visit them an hour each every day to entertain them, knowing full well how bored you can get being locked in a single room for days. She learned how to play Skillian five poker with Shepard and Williams, and played a few omni-tool games with Garrus over the extranet that were like online games for pc or console back home. He would always win at the strategy games, but she did give him a run for his money. They weren't going to go on any missions for now anyway, so they plotted a course for the Citadel to restock, refuel and get a new mako from the Alliance barracks there, the old one was just barely more than scrap metal in the cargo hold. It was a miracle they were even able to bring it aboard.

Once they made it to the Citadel, Kaidan took charge of all the needed requisitions, while the Commander was well enough by now to head out and talk to Captain Anderson. Apparently he had some intel for him and would rather give it to him directly since they were here already. Christine, Garrus and Tali decided to sit on the dock overlooking the Citadel instead of heading out. Garrus's leg still wasn't 100% healed and he wanted to be ready for the next ground mission. "So, what do you think about what do you think of all of this?" Garrus asks out of the blue with a hand gesturing vaguely to the station laid out in front of them. "I mean all of it; the Citadel, all the different species, the ships and our tech, the crew. You're one of the few people that can truly give an outside perspective on all of it." and he showed genuine interest in her answer as they both waited for it.

Christine hummed in thought with a finger on her chin, staring up into the air, before looking at back at them "It's all really interesting to me; how everything works, all the different peoples and their cultures. I'm truly amazed by it. But on the other hand, racism seems very popular too; not much different than my time, except now it's based on species or biotics in some cases. Some things seem to be universal despite the time difference. No one is willing to judge based on an individual's merit and instead makes everything over-generalised." Both her friends looked on stunned at her, Garrus having opened his mouth an inch even. No one could ever say if Tali was gaping at her, but her expressive, glowing eyes made up for it. "What? Is that controversial or something?"

At this Tali shook her head and answered. "No, there is nothing wrong with what you said, just that very few people view the galaxy like that. I sure wish there were more out there that shared your view, then maybe my people wouldn't be seen as thieves and vermin everywhere we went."

Garrus nodded and added "Yah, sure would have made my job easier in C-Sec if almost every human I came across didn't hate me just by looking at me. Mind you I'm also a bit guilty on the prejudice part of things." He admits sheepishly. They spend the next hour or so casually discussing the topic when Shepard came rushing from the elevator.

"Everyone back on board, we got a lead. Geth are attacking the human colony on Feros. Maybe we'll find a link to what Saren is up to there as it's also a Prothean ruin." They didn't wait for any further explanation and immediately got back on board. "Joker, tell everyone shore leave is cancelled! We're heading out to Feros as soon as we are restocked and fuelled." Shepard said as he entered the cockpit, reviewing some stats about how far the loading is.

"Damn, what's the emergency, Commander? Looks like you took a Varen up the ass about something." Joker tried to lighten the serious mood around him, but Shepard just glared at him for the comment.

"Geth are attacking the human colony there Joker. It's enough to send a varen up anybody's ass about it. The faster we get there the better." He turned around without another word heading back to the CIC to oversee the last few things before departure.

"Aye, aye Commander. ETD 1 hour" Joker replied formally, switching to serious mode for the mission.

Christine wandered up to Shepard slowly, gathering some courage for what she wanted to ask him. _Ok, you can do this. Just tell him you want to help, surely he has some job you can do?_ She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders and came to a standstill at attention, just like Ash had shown her, next to the galaxy map, before clearing her throat to get his attention. He looks up at her from his terminal with a questioning eyebrow and a serious face. "Commander, I would like to assist the crew in whatever means you see fit." She stated a bit shaky but sure of herself.

Shepard stood from leaning on the terminal and turned to face her and folded his arms over his chest. "Really? And what did Chakwas say about this? Does she even know?" he took Christine's silence as his answer and sighed a bit irritated. "Look, everyone on this crew knows their job and how to do it. If we are not in a hurry or on a mission they can show you how to help with their jobs; but right now isn't the time, you'll just get in the way. So please, go to the crew deck for now." He turned back to his work but she didn't take that as her dismissal.

"Commander, I can't just sit by while others work around me, I've done enough of that lately. Please, let me help with something, anything!" she was pleading with him now, but she wasn't sure if it would work or tick him off more.

After a few seconds of hard silence from all around the CIC as some crewmembers stared at the spectacle, Shepard gave a resigned sigh "Very well then, you're on kitchen duty. Even if they tell you to wash dishes all day, you'll do it since you're so adamant to help." He wasn't expecting her to be beaming at him in gratitude. It was meant as light punishment for talking back to a superior officer but it backfired on him.

"Thank you Commander! You won't regret it." She was smiling so wide it looked like it hurt her face, and she made a sharp turn to hurry to the crew deck. Shepard shook his head and gave another sigh, part frustration, part guilt, and another part humourus for her attitude and reaction.

"Need to speak to Chakwas about this…" he mused to himself before returning his attention to departure prep.

During the whole four day trip Feros from the Citadel, Christine didn't complain once, she did all her given duties and even made dinner once for the whole crew except the dextros, and everybody loved it. It was a simple chicken recipe but it seemed to have been lost over the years as nobody has tasted anything like it before. It made her happy that she could teach something to people that knew so much more than her, and the smiles on everyone's faces was enough to keep her going. In between her new duties she still kept on doing her normal lessons with the exception of her afternoon training as both Shepard and Williams were to take it easy by doctor's orders. So Ash would sit on the side lines and direct her to learn a few new moves, no matter how much it would frustrate her.

At some point during the training session, Wrex has had enough of the way it was going, which was nowhere. "Bah, You'll never learn anything like that kid! You need to practice on someone. Someone that knows what they're doing and can take the punches. Let me show you how it's done." He gestured with his hands before he hits his fists together in front of his chest and walks up to the training mat. Both Williams and Vakarian start protesting immediately about how he will be too rough on the poor woman, but Christine just looks at him curiously.

"Ok, sure Wrex. Show me how it's done. It's always good to learn from different opponents." She did seem apprehensive, but he also smelled excitement. _Ha! I knew she had a warrior's spirit in her. I am going to enjoy seeing what she is capable of._ He smirked at her while getting into a fighting stance, and she did the same when Vakarian jumped between them.

"Christine, this isn't a good idea. Krogan fight rough and few ever take them on in hand-to hand and live to tell about it." He was trying to get her to back off the mat, but she wasn't budging, dodging under his grasp and rolling to the side to face Wrex again.

"I'll be fine, Garrus. This isn't a real fight. Wrex is just going to help me practice a few moves, not like I can take him on anyway. Besides, Krogan fight for honour. What's the point in fighting an opponent that is obviously weaker than yourself? He volunteered." Wrex barked a laugh at her logic and the Turians face expression.

"See Turian, she's got it covered. I won't hurt her, this is just some practice for her. She'll never get any better at it if she is coached from the side-lines and by the same teacher."

Williams glared at him before she got up and headed for the elevator, shooting over her shoulder. "Fine! But you know Chakwas will have your head if you do anything stupid. Have fun with your new student, I'm done with this."

Garrus just sags and heaves out a sigh. "Fine, if you're sure of this. But I'll be watching to make sure he doesn't hurt you." He steps out of the way and leans on a nearby crate, watching them like a hawk, clearly not happy with the situation.

"Ha, like you could stop me if I really wanted to, Turian." Wrex smirked, but Garrus didn't rise to the bait and instead just glared at him. Wrex just grunted at him and turned his attention to his new student. "Now, first things first kid. You're not holding your fists right"…..

After about an hour, Christine had taken many a tumble as the big Krogan rebuffed her attempts to attack him. But she kept getting back up and going at it again. It got to the point that Garrus couldn't take it anymore. "Hold up, hold up. You're going about it all wrong. You can't keep rushing headlong into an opponent that is physically stronger than you, you need to outsmart him and figure out his weak points and then strike swiftly." Both combatants stop and look at him with stupidly funny faces. Garrus had to keep a laugh in and a serious face on before he continued "Let me show you. While running into everything is a good tactic if you are a Krogan, you don't have the strength or weight behind you to use that approach." He stepped up to the mat next to Wrex. "Mind if I take over? You've helped enough."

"What do you mean, Turian? She's doing great for a human. She's doing better than some pijak Krogan I've trained." Wrex gave a gruff reply like his pride was hurt by the statement.

"She might be learning fast but the point is she isn't a Krogan. The technique isn't suited to her and it will only get her in trouble in a real fight."

"Oh, so you know better, huh? If you're so good why don't you show her a few moves that will floor me by the end of the day?" he says while folding his arms in front of him.

"That's not realistic and you know it! She might learn fast but there is no way she can pull together the moves fast and strong enough to floor you in one session." Garrus snarled back at Wrex.

"Hey! I'm not some weak damsel in distress anymore! I can learn anything you show me and make both of you hit the floor at least once before dinner!" _What?! Where did that come from?! Am I going crazy? I know you hate being seen as weak and useless but it's no reason to speak past your abilities. You're going to regret this…._ But her internal debate didn't reach face. She just kept angrily eyeing both of them.

This made Wrex double over in laughter while Garrus looked at her dumbfounded. "That's tough talk from someone that kept falling on the floor a few minutes ago. You sure you want to do this?" Garrus asks tentatively, leaving her with a way out if she wanted to take it.

"Challenge accepted. So start teaching, Wrex you can take a break if you like. I'll take you on again once I show mister overprotective here that I'm not some delicate lily." Wrex moved off the mat still laughing, and taking seat on a crate to keep an eye on the proceedings. The requisitions officer typed something on his omni-tool and came closer to get a better seat of the show. Soon nearly half the crew were watching her train.

Garrus had to admit, she had gotten good and learned all the moves he showed her like she just needed a refresher course on them and soon she felt ready to take him on and try out the new moves. A betting pool had been started by one of the engineers on how long she would last.

"You sure you want to do this? This is your last chance to get out of this before you humiliate yourself in front of everyone." _Last chance, if she doesn't take it now I won't feel guilty if I beat her._ He told himself.

"Bring it on." she stated with a confident smirk, while preparing herself internally to take a few hard hits and hitting the floor a few more times. _You can do it, you just need to catch him unaware once. Test his reactions and speed, don't show him everything you can do just yet, lull him into lowering his guard._ She went through her checklist while taking on, what to her seemed like a natural fighting stance, but that nobody else recognised.

Garrus noticed this with an arched brow plate, but took up his own fighting stance and waited for her to make the first move. She stated with a few test jabs and kicks, not putting her full weight behind it so she could pull back fast and not lose balance. He initially just blocked but soon started to probe her defences as well, testing her speed and reactions. The crowd around them started to cheer them on and yelling that they should stop playing around with each other. As much as Garrus didn't want to do this, he decided to finish this quickly so she could learn her lesson about overestimating her abilities. Rather with him than with Wrex.

He came at her fast with blow after blow. One or two made it past her defences, but she just kept on blocking and not backing down; eventually matching his blows with blocks no matter how fast he threw them. They broke apart for a second, she was breathing hard but controlled and had a determined look on her face. He had the advantage that she had not been able to retaliate against his attacks and had farther reach than her, so she needed to get in close to get a hit on him, and with him being about seven foot tall, that isn't easy. Not giving her longer than a second to catch her breath, he leapt back at her with a faint left and then a right hook. She dodged the feint and blocked for the right, before she ducked and rolled out from under him, keeping him at a distance. This kept up for another few minutes and the crowd started to get upset with nothing really happening.

When the tenth minute passed, it was like a switch was flipped in her. She came in close and dodged or blocked all his attacks, even if he tried to put some more distance between them, she would get back into his space. Before he could change his game plan and attack more aggressively, she caught him off guard as he threw a punch, and then she was suddenly not there anymore. Before he could find her again, a blow hit him the back of his knee and then over the back, making him fall forward. He caught himself just to have his supporting hand and remaining leg kicked out from underneath him, landing him on the floor on his side.

Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds, as it hit everyone what just happened. Wrex broke the silence with a bark of a laugh, followed by the grumbles and cheers from the crew. She stepped up to the stunned Garrus and offered him a hand to help him up. "You have a nice turn of speed if you want to, heh?" he complimented her. But his ego had just taken a major beating and in front of most of the crew and Wrex no less, all because he underestimated her. He would never hear the end of it.

She gave him a sheepish smile "Thanks, you're a real piece of work yourself. I had to get you either angry or distracted to get at you." Wrex stepped up and gave her a pat on the back so hard she fell forward into Garrus and he caught her, she would have hit the floor if he wasn't in the way. Her cheeks turned red and she quickly pulled away from him before anybody noticed.

"You're all right kid! I'll give you a pass today and you can try to hit me tomorrow when we come back from the mission. You earned it. You're all exhausted right now and it wouldn't be a fair fight, you don't have that endurance yet. I want you to give it your all." The heavily panting Christine just nods at him in thanks and acknowledgement before someone hands her a bottle of water and she is whisked away in a sea of congratulations. In the corner of the hold, Chakwas gives a small satisfied smile, glad her intervention wasn't needed and that the girl was proving herself against all the odds.

The next morning they docked at Feros and everyone except Liara and Ashley was going out from the ground team. They were to be back-up or extra support for the local defences if they needed it. Christine was following the mission from the cockpit with Joker. It already didn't start well with one of the colonists that came to greet the team being blown up by a Geth rocket. Shepard and his team then made short work of the offending Geth and started clearing out the stairs to the colony proper. They then had to clear out the tower, which was more of a problem, but still managed without any injuries. On their return to the colony, they learned of the myriad of problems the colonists faced. Not only did they have to fight of the Geth, but they had to deal with water, food and power shortages.

Christine got an idea and immediately got on the radio to Shepard "Commander, I have an idea. We have enough supplies here to give some for these people as temporary relief until you solve the main problems beside the Geth. Me, T'Soni and Williams can bring it in to them. You already cleared the stairs, so we just drop it off and you can get on with the important jobs." She felt proud of herself for the idea but it was almost immediately shot down by the chorus of disagreement over the radio from everyone except Wrex.

"She has a point. These people need something to last them for now while we deal with everything. They just come in, drop a few crates and then head back to the ship. No big deal Shepard." Wrex shrugs at them "She 'aint as defenceless and vulnerable as you all make her out to be. Besides, we cleared out the stairs and then Williams and T'Soni can back the colonists up if more Geth show up. No big deal. You can even send a few of your on board marines to keep an eye on them moving the crates and get her back to the ship if you are that afraid of it." A complicated debate followed but eventually Shepard relented to the logic and the need for supplies to the colonists.

"Fine then. Christine, there is some spare light armour you can put on and ask the requisitions officer for a pistol. Williams, prep the needed supplies and you, T'Soni and two marines bring it here to Fai Dan. The marines will then escort you back to the ship. No fancy business or playing hero, you got that?"

"Yes, Commander!" and she jumped up out of her seat to head down to the cargo hold to suit up with Liara. Once suited up with a little help, and all the crates were set at the entrance to the elevator, Ashley arrived with two other marines to help load it all up and take it to the first deck. They would be able to carry everything between them in one go with one marine standing at the ready. Christine was brimming with excitement, even more than the marines that don't get to go out on ground missions so often. This will be her first human colony she visits. Sure it's under attack but Shepard and his crew already cleared the path for them and will soon take care of the issue like he always does in the stories he told her in the med-bay. And even if something goes wrong, there were two marines, Ash and Liara around her, she felt perfectly safe.

When the airlock opened, they moved out with one marine at point and her and Liara at the back. The crates were heavy for her but she only stopped them when her grip was failing, to reposition her hands and they would continue. When they finally reached the top of the stairs and she felt like her arm was going to fall off, but they made it. Everything looked a dull concrete grey with burn and scorch marks everywhere. Injured people were laying outside prefab homes, while others rushed around to get supplies to the barricades or the injured to their central cargo ship that was their makeshift central hall. Christine helped distribute some of the supplies to their respective storage locations, while Liara and Ash were talking to the organisers to find out where they would be the most useful. Liara joined her after a few minutes.

"You don't have to do this, you know. We can take care of it. You should head back to the ship now."

"I'm fine Liara. This is the first time I'm off the ship that wasn't the Citadel. I just want to see the colony a bit, maybe talk to some people, hand them some supplies and make them smile for a change, and then I'll head back. I won't be long, I promise." She says with a smile. She knows how much a smile can help when you're feeling depressed, even more so when you're in a war zone probably.

Liara just gave her a sad smile, wanting to argue with her but also understanding her need to help people and not feel useless. "All right then, I'll come with you until you're done." Christine gave a genuine smile back at her friend, glad that she would be coming with her. They gathered up some water bottles, ration packs and medigel; and then started to go around what was left of the colony to hand out some provisions. It was while doing her rounds that they started to notice that something wasn't right with the colonists. They seemed distant and answered strangely. They also didn't seem too bothered with the fact that there is a warzone all around them, just focussing on fixing their little bit and keeping things running. And if any questions were asked about the colony they would refer them to Fai Dan.

When they were halfway through the colony they came back to get more provisions and met up with the ground team that came back from the tunnels after fixing the various problems. Shepard didn't seem too happy with her still being there. "Christine, what are you still doing here? I thought you would be back on the ship by now." Ha says with a scowl on his face and arms folded in front of his chest.

"I'm fine, Commander. Just handing out some much needed supplies to the people here. You cleaned out the Geth here already so it all safe. I'll head back to the ship before you come back from ridding the last Geth from the area. You worry too much." Came her indignant reply, folding her own arms and shifting her weight to one hip. Shepard gave her a frustrated sigh through his nose.

"All right but you head back directly afterwards. No detours or sightseeing. The colony isn't secured yet, and until we've done that, you're at risk and you're just a civilian. It isn't your job to be doing this and the Council will have my head if anything happens to you just because you didn't want to stay on the ship." He turns his attention to Liara "Liara, I'm counting on you to make sure she doesn't wander and heads straight back to the ship when she is done."

"Yes Commander." She replied curtly, before Shepard turned on a heal and signalled the team to follow him to the Skyway. As they turned, they gave her varying scowls and sympathetic looks, Garrus looked more worried than the rest, but Wrex just smiled and looked ….. proud? Happy? She wasn't sure; as they headed out. "Come on, let's hand these out and get you back to the ship." Liara told her as they turned with their new supplies back towards the colony.

About an hour later when they were nearly finished, the colonists all started acting weird. Some were clutching their heads in pain while others were rolling on the floor. Both of them had no idea what was happening and were trying to help as best they could, but were thrown off and rebuffed by the colonists and eventually held at gunpoint, yelling about protecting the heart of the colony. "What's wrong with you? We came to help!" Christine had yelled at them, but to no avail. Liara pulled up a barrier around them as they ran to the nearest housing unit and locked themselves inside. The colonists then seemed to disregard them, leaving two people outside but not trying to force their way in. "That's odd wouldn't you say? Chase us with guns but leave us when we lock ourselves up? What the hell is happening here?" Christine asks a little out of breath between the running and the adrenalin running through her system.

"I have no idea. They just… changed … somehow. It almost looks like someone is using some form of mind control on them. But there is no way to be sure from in here." Liara took out her pistol and checked it over. "Check your pistol as well and keep it at the ready, but only shoot if you really need to, ok?" Christine nodded at her, now a bit more nervous as she drew her own pistol and checked it over like she was shown.

"Shouldn't we radio the Commander or the Normandy about the situation?" she asked eventually once she was sure her gun was ready.

"Yes! You're right, I should have thought of that." Liara quickly fiddled with her omni-tool before she raised her hand to her ear. "Commander, do you read? We have a situation at the colony….. Commander?... Darn, they must be in an area where the signal is being blocked." She frowned and looked worried before she tried the Normandy's frequency. "Joker, do you read me? … Oh, thank the Goddess. The colonists have gone crazy, me and Christine have locked ourselves in a prefab house on the outskirts of the colony. They left two armed guards outside but are not attempting to hack the lock at this point. We can't reach the Commander. Warn him of the situation and that we will need extraction if he doesn't want any casualties… Don't worry, we have enough supplies on us to last us a few days. We'll be fine as long as they stay outside….. All right, Liara out." she turned to her friend with a smile. "Joker will inform the Commander of the situation as soon as he can get through to him. We just have to sit tight until then. Chief Williams and the other two marines managed to make it back to the Normandy safely." Both women breathed a sigh of relief before they started to set up the remnants of furniture into defensible positions, and seeing what other supplies they had to work with. They then sat behind an overturned desk and started chatting about everything that has been going on.

It wasn't half an hour after they last made contact with the Normandy that they heard strange sounds outside along with shuffling of many feet across the ground. When they looked out the window, they were shocked. Green humanoid creatures were moving around in the colony, heading towards the centre of town. Their two human guards have left and were replaced by these green zombies, for the lack of a better term. "What the blue blazing hell is that?!" Christine had exclaimed, while they both just stared agape at the scene in front of the window. They both kept low to avoid attracting any unwanted attention to themselves. There were at least a hundred of those things outside, but they were all moving away from them.

After the horde had moved past them, Liara looked at Christine before she got on her radio again. "We need to warn the Normandy and Shepard before…." But she cut herself short as she stared out over Christine's shoulder at something that had her paralysed with fear. Christine just froze, not moving or wanting to look behind her at whatever had her friend so scared. She then heard something with a hum and then a screech from some creature as it was flung against the side of the prefab. She automatically covered her head at first, but with the second thud, she dived her still friend back behind the overturned table, before she peeked out. And then she froze herself. Outside the window, with one of the zombies in a biotic grip, ready to throw it; was Saren Arterius on some kind of hover board. With a last thud, there was no more shuffling outside and only the humming sound of his hover board. He stared at them through the glass before moving over to the door.

The lock turned green and opened. He sauntered in with an air of authority and set determination around him. "Well, well. What do we have here? Two of my quarry in one location, it must be my lucky day. Now, you can come quietly or I will force you to come. Your choice really." He said in a scarily neutral tone with no humour behind it. "So what will it be?"

Before he could continue his monologue, Christine pushed Liara back below the table and raised her pistol at him, shooting at him as she yelled her defiance. The Spectre didn't even flinch, all the shots bouncing off his barrier. Liara joined her and threw a warp at him, but he just deflected and detonated it to his side. He started to walk towards them, not caring what they were doing at all. "You made your choice I see. At least you are braver than the last time we met. Too bad it's for nothing pitiful human." He threw his own warp at Liara, who deflected it; but because they were in a corner, the detonation was too close to them and they both went flying into the opposite wall. Liara was knocked out since she was closest to the blast.

Christine got up on shaky legs, breathing heavily and holding her left shoulder that hit the wall first; but instead of being scared, she showed her own determination ad defiance on her face. "I will not go back there! And you will not hurt my friends!" she spat some blood from her mouth to her side. Saren sneered at the disgusting display but also seemed amused.

"And you are going to stop me? That's a laugh human. Not even your great Commander Shepard could take me on, what chance do you have?" he was chuckling to himself now "No, you don't stand any chance at all…" but before he could finish, he was tackled by this so called pitiful human. They landed hard on the ground and she rolled off him and jumped up quickly, readying herself for the retaliation or next attack. _Just like in practice with Garrus or Ash. Catch them off guard and go big or go home!_ She wasn't prepared however, to be thrown across the room with a biotic push, hitting the wall hard.

"Enough of this! I would tear you apart if I didn't need you!" he jumped up, swiping at her with his talons. She just managed to dodge and block his initial attacks when he kicked her in the side of the head. He wasn't just good, he was _fast_ as well. She regained her stance and tried to trip him with a swipe of her foot. He jumped over it, but she caught him mid-air with a jab just under the ribs where his plating ends. He doubled over for a second, but retaliated by blocking her next punch, grabbing her wrist and throwing her against the wall again. The world was all blurry to her now and she was having trouble breathing, but still got up. They jumped at each other again, dodging and blocking each other's blows equally. But Christine was quickly tiring, not used to this intense fighting for so long. Something inside her clicked into place and she made a final desperate attack, a feint followed quickly by a haymaker that hit home, sending him backwards a step. Before he could recover enough, she grabbed one of his outstretched hands for his balance and pulled him over her shoulder by tripping him and pushing her back into him. She rolled him on his back with the same arm and tried to pin to the ground with his hand screwed up behind his back, with her entire body weight.

Saren would have none of that. With a roar of effort he used his remaining free hand to grip her at the base of her neck, heaved and threw her across the room from him with just pure strength. He got up quickly and before Christine could block in her dazed state, he punched her on the temple to knock her out. She slumped to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut. He stood over her, panting and then swiped a bit of blue blood from his mouth where she had managed to hit him. "Impressive, it seems the Proteans did manage to make a weapon out of you in the end. But no matter, your secrets will soon be mine." He grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder, then grabbed Liara by her wrist, dragging her on the floor out of the prefab.

He heard shooting not too far from him and knew this is his cue to leave, but just as he was going to get back on his hover board, Shepard came around the corner. First he was stunned and then anger overtook his features, while his ground team came running up behind him. Saren started to lift off when a precise shot hit his boar on the side, making the board shake from side to side and making him drop Liara in order to maintain his balance. More bullets started to impact his barriers and he decided he had the most important part of what he wanted, and took off; with Shepard yelling his name out after him.


	10. Chapter 10: Guilt and Concequence

**Hey everyone. Life continues to want to throw a spanner in the works, but here is the next chapter =^^= Enjoy, rant and review.**

Chapter 10: Guilt and Consequence

The ground grew came back with a sombre mood hanging over all of them, but none worse than Shepard and Wrex, with Garrus in close third. They debriefed on the defeat of the Thorian and the cypher Shepard got, but would have to wait for Liara before they could make out if it helped at all. Then Shepard had the pleasure of informing the Council of what happened. To say they were upset at him for letting Saren escape and with Christine in tow, would be the understatement of the year. But they had some information at least. Matriarch Benezia was spotted at a few ports and they were now following her personal ship, hoping to soon get a trace on her at the next port she stopped at. At least Tali extracted some information from the Geth terminals and was busy decrypting and interpreting it, hoping to get a lead on Saren's activities. He exited the Comm room, running his hands down his face. _If I just didn't let her go off the ship! Dammit, why did she have to be so adamant to help the colonists?_ He let out a long and heavy sigh, before heading to the crew deck for dinner with the rest of the crew, except Liara, who was still recovering in the medbay. The normal chatter was toned done considerably, with the ground team not saying a word to anyone while they ate in silence.

Wrex seemed to brood over something and getting an angry scowl on his face that got worse with each passing minute. _He's taking it hard…. Hhmm… Strange, he never seemed like the kind to get attached to anyone. Better talk to him soon, an angry Krogan on a confined ship is never good. Will need to talk to everyone I guess. Garrus looks like something's eating him up from the inside as well. Even the optimistic and happy Tali looks depressed. Had Christine really connected with everyone in just two short month?_ He scoffed internally _Of course she had. All we allowed her to do was talk and get to know people to get her over her fear. Reason would have it she would make friends with at least some of them. She has a sweet and caring personality, open to others and genuine, and with the way she constantly forced herself to learn everything from everyone ….._ he gave a light sigh. _I shouldn't have let a civilian go out in those circumstances … I'm supposed to protect them. Sure she had proven herself good enough in training, but training and a real life battlefield are two very different animals, and she didn't sign up for this like the rest of us._

Once dinner was done and everyone headed to their respective places, Shepard got up to start his rounds with a much more serious reason behind it this time than just learning his crew. He started with his usual on the first deck with Joker, and then headed to the crew deck, avoiding Chakwas like the plague for fear of her wrath. He would have to face her eventually, but wanted to leave the longest lecture for last. Hopefully Liara would be awake by then as well, curbing the fury of the motherly doctor. Kaidan seemed downright depressed and angry when Shepard came to him. "Hey Alenko, you seem unusually depressed, even with what happened today." he tried to keep the undertone of blame and anger on himself out of his voice, replacing it with professional concern for his comrade and friend.

Kaidan looked at him for a few seconds before answering "Permission to speak freely Commander?" straightening himself to stand ramrod straight.

"Sure Kaidan, speak your mind when something is bothering you."

Alenko relaxed a bit, let out a sigh and stared at the floor. "Shepard, you know I was against her going out in the first place. I shouldn't have let up on it. I should have changed everybody's mind about it, she wasn't ready to walk out on a battlefield, regardless of Saren being there or not…"

Shepard gave him a sympathetic smile and put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Kaidan, you were the logical one in that debate, you shouldn't beat yourself up on it. I'm the one that relented and made the final decision to let her come to the colony. You're welcome to blame me for it, it seems to be a past time of the Council anyway." He got a short, dry chuckle in return.

"Yah Shepard, but you're supposed to be responsible for the final decision regardless. You rely on us to give you sound advice on missions so you can make the best decisions in the end. We let you down, I let you down…"

"Look Kaidan, you might be partly right, but we all have to make tough decisions at the end of the day, and I made the bad call not you. But I need you now to keep your chin up and be ready once we get any intel that will allow us to go rescue her. Moping about it gets no one anywhere, you got that soldier?"

"Yah, I get it Shepard. It just hit a bit close to home, you know? Remember I told you about Rahna? This feels similar in a way. There I tried to defend her, and ended up killing Commander Vyrnnus and hurting her. This time I don't stand my ground and Christine ends up kidnapped by Saren no less. And she managed to crawl into everybody's heart in some way, you know? She feels like a little sister to me already, and I let her down… But don't worry Commander. I'll be ready to go when you need me." He said the last bit with a smile and determination.

"Good to hear Kaidan, don't let it get you down. We'll get her back." He smiled more genuinely at his friend, patting him on the shoulder, before he turns around to head down the elevator. Once the doors open to the cargo bay, he is met by a sight he hasn't seen before. Wrex has set up the middle of the hold with a myriad training equipment and was busy beating the shit out of a punching bag, one bag already laying to the side, shredded and pummelled. "Wrex? What are you doing?" he asks as he approaches tentatively, leaving a health distance between him and the angry Krogan more out of respect than fear.

"What does it look like, Shepard?" he huffs out in angry breaths between punches "I'm dealing with my failure before I rip someone to pieces on this ship!" not turning around or stopping in his beating of the helpless bag.

"Wait, what do you mean failure? You didn't fail anything Wrex?" Concern and confusion on his face, but not stopping the Krogan from continuing his pummelling.

"I failed her! The pijak wasn't ready to head out and face Saren _fucking_ Arterius! And I encouraged her to go out! But I wasn't there to back her up when her skills weren't enough! Krogan parents are supposed to look after their pups and back them up until they are good enough to stand on their own! Especially the females!" he hit the bag so hard on his last exclamation, that it tore open, spilling its sandy guts on the floor, leaving Wrex huffing in a mix of anger and exhaustion. Except for dinner, he hasn't rested since the mission. "She was going to show me how good she had gotten by taking me down after this mission… Little pijak had more of a quad than half the Krogan I know! She knew she couldn't beat me but still wanted to prove herself by getting me to hit the floor at least once, no matter how many times she would end up on the floor from it. That makes her an honorary Krogan in my book. I was teaching her, which makes me responsible for her skill and well-being like any good Krogan parent would, and I failed!" he ripped the bag off of its hook, tossed it to the side along with the other ruined bag and stalked off in search of his next victim.

Shepard stood shocked at the revelation that Wrex tossed at him, and took a few seconds for him to formulate an intellectual reply "Whoa, whoa, wait what?! You see yourself as her parent? Since when? I understand Krogan protecting their children and women but when did you make her, a human woman, your charge?"

Wrex glared daggers at Shepard, turning around and getting up into his face "Since she was the first pijak to not judge me on what my people are or what they did! Since she was brave enough to talk to me even if she was scared of me, and only then judge _me_ and saw me fit to befriend. And when I started teaching her, she became my charge! You better stay the hell out of my way when we find her Shepard, because I won't let anyone get in my way." The last part he punctuated with a finger at Shepard's chest with a low and threatening growl.

Shepard didn't back down from the challenge and replied stern but kindly "Ok, Wrex. I think I understand you now. I won't stop you from saving her as long as you don't put the team or yourself in unnecessary danger in the process, and you should still follow my orders up until the opportunity arises. I want her back too Wrex, and I'll make damn sure we find her and make that Turain bastard pay for it."

Wrex backs off a bit at the statement, grunts his agreement, and then stomps off towards the elevator. Shepard lets out a sigh of relief from defusing the bomb on board and takes a few seconds to collect himself so he could handle the next case more delicately than the blunt Krogan, not letting his own turmoil of emotions show on the subject. He heads to Ashley next, knowing she already saw Christine as another little sister that she needed to teach and protect, apparently like half the crew did. Her conversation needed more comforting words and reassurance that they will get her back soon. Ashley kept her face straight but Shepard could see the hurt, sadness and anger in her eyes, underneath the façade. He gave her a pat on the shoulder, but she returned it with a tight hug and then a punch to the shoulder saying "You better get her back fast, or Wrex won't be the only one out to beat your head into a pulp." She warned.

Garrus was next in line, head tucked in under the mako, busy with repairs as usual; but this time it might be more trying to drown himself in work while trying to handle his own emotions or just ignore them. Shepard approached quietly, trying to gauge his current emotional stance from the way he was beating a bolt into submission to loosen, a few choice Turian curse words that didn't translate so well following in tow. Shepard gave a sigh, knowing exactly what is going through Garrus's head and feeling much the same, but before he could get his attention Garrus spoke up "Need me for something Commander? Or are you just going to stand there all day?" in an irritated tone, but not getting out from under the tank.

"Yes Garrus, you seem really tense and angry. Want to talk about it?" he replied in a concerned tone while folding his arms in front of him, waiting for Garrus to face him.

There was a bang and then a clatter of a spanner falling on the floor along with a few more curse words that did translate, before Garrus heaved himself up from under the mako, taking a rag to wipe of his gloves while angrily staring down his commander. "What's there to talk about, you already know the score, get her back before we all try to rip your head off and then do the same to Saren. I'm not deaf you know. Now can I get back to work or is there actually something important to discuss?" he put down the rag on the toolbox before bringing up his own arms to his chest in a defensive manner.

"This is something important to talk about Garrus, I need all of my team focused and ready to go. Anger and doubts like this undermine your abilities in the field, and eat you up from within if you don't deal with it sooner rather than later. I know from experience Garrus. So spill, what has you so wound up about it." Shepard knew Garrus wouldn't talk if he took the commanding role with this, and instead used their friendship to get him to talk to him directly like an equal.

Garrus snorted at the statement but relented in his defence "Fine, you want to talk, I'll talk. I knew she shouldn't be let off of the ship, she is just a civilian. Turians are different, everybody goes through the mandatory military service so even our civilians can take up arms and defend themselves. Christine had no such training, just basic self-defence and a stubborn will to help those colonists. You should have stopped her! You should have sent her back when she was handing out supplies or at least left one of us with her and Liara! One trained combatant isn't enough if they were to run into trouble and you knew there was trouble brewing from the moment we started talking to the colonists! You shouldn't have left her ….. you ….. I should have been there, I could have made a difference. Keep Saren busy long enough for you to save her…." He was shouting his anger and frustration out at Shepard, and he let him vent; by the end of it, he was spent and his last words were barely above a whisper, shoulders slumped in defeat. He heaved a long sigh

Shepard put a reassuring hand on Garrus's shoulder "It's all right Garrus, you have every right to be angry at my decision. You saw how she has already managed to even win Wrex over, she is hard not to like. But you need to focus that anger and use it, not let it control you. We'll get her back; that's a promise, not just to you guys, but to myself as well. Now, can I count on you to keep a level head while we are out on the battlefield until we can safe her?"

"Yes Commander, … and …. Thank you." Garrus gave a forced smile and then got back to working on the mako, with more calm and less beating of tools against unyielding bolts.

Shepard gave a sad smile and turned around and headed for Tali. She also just needed reassurance that Christine would be fine and they would find and rescue her soon, followed by a prompt hug before he headed back up the elevator to face his biggest challenge, talking down Chakwas from killing him with a spoon.

Christine came to her senses slowly, becoming aware of her surroundings little by little. First she felt her throbbing head and aching body, lying on a cold metal floor in a heap. She kept herself from groaning and focused on listening to her surroundings before she made any moves or even opened her eyes. She could hear the feint hum of an engine, so she was on a moving ship at least. Being dumped on a cold floor means they didn't care much for her…. And at this point she remembers being knocked out by Saren and the fight that ensued beforehand. Panic tried to claw its way into her brain but she quickly stomped it into the ground and replaced it with the needed calm of thought to get her out of this situation. _Ok, ok…. Panic won't help you. First things first, assess situation and injuries._ She slowly and carefully moved all her fingers and toes, realising she didn't have her armour on any more and was laying in just her undersuit. Sore muscles protested at the movement, but nothing serious. Her breathing however, was painful, but still manageable. _All limbs accounted for and moving ok. Just won't be running my way out of here._

She finally ventured to open one eye just enough to focus on what lay beyond her. She was once again in a cell of some sort with a shield barrier thing. The rest of the room was completely empty and fairly dark. The only light coming from the barrier. She finally opens both eyes and sits up once she was sure no one was nearby, holding her throbbing head in one hand, supporting herself with the other, but still withholding as much noise as she could. The strange buzzing seemed to be back in her head and it just made the headache worse. She finally manages to drag herself up against the wall and stumbled to the edge of the barrier to peer down the hallway to both ends. The hallway was dark with no sign of any inhabitants. She slumped back against the wall, gathering her thoughts. _Ok, might as well be in pyjamas, room has nothing useful, can't see far down the hallway and body is not 100% for running away right now. Great…_ she sits and ponders her options to herself, which were almost nothing. She eventually decides to wait and see what happens, if someone comes and checks on her at specific intervals or not, eventually she just falls asleep again while waiting, her body being exhausted.

She wakes up to a machine like whirr, knowing what it means she keeps as still as she possibly could while keeping her breathing steady and slow. Metal footsteps clank on the metal floor to around where her door would be, stop for a few seconds and then move along again. Once she was sure it was gone, she looked up to see no one again. _So they do check on me… hmmmm… now I need to work out the timing somehow._ She closes her eyes and begins counting at an even pace, but all too soon loses count so instead she tries to keep a relative time perspective of how much of it has passed. Not very exact but it's not like she has much else to do. Eventually she begins to feel around every panel she could find, looking for weaknesses that she could exploit, but none were forthcoming.

About an hour after the first Geth had come past, she hears another approach. This time she stands in front of the barrier waiting for it, they won't be fooled for long so she might as well stand ready to attack it if she gets the chance. The Geth stops in front of her, 'looking' her in the eye and making those weird old model connection noises, and remains there. So she takes a chance "Hey flashlighthead! What's going on!" her voice sounding more sure than she felt, but she kept her mask of confidence in place. It gave no response and just waited. Remembering the last time that this happened, she wasn't at all surprised when Saren came walking down the corridor at her.

"Ah, you're finally awake. Now, we will ask you a few questions and you will answer them. If you do not comply, … well, let's just say you won't enjoy it but I will." As he smirks at her.

"Ask all you want, I'm n-not talking to you." Her slight stutter betraying her building fear, but she was determined not to talk.

"Then this will be entertaining indeed." And he lifts his right talon, glowing blue before she is enveloped in a similar field and being lifted off the ground and then thrown back against the wall, the air being forced out of her lungs while she collapses on the ground, coughing and trying desperately to regain her lost breath. "Now, what do you and Shepard know of the conduit?"

When she had regained enough of her breath, she gets back up and faces him, keeping her mask in place. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she spat back. He doesn't pull any sort of face at her reaction and merely knocks her back against the wall.

"I know you have the beacon visions, don't try and fool me. Now, what. Do. You. Know." He punctuates the last word with as much threat as Christine had ever heard in a calm voice.

She swallows her building fear back down "I. Don't. Know. Shepard never discussed those things with me. All I know is that he has the visions as well." she answers truthfully. For once she is glad she doesn't know any more.

"Hmmmm… very well." he makes a note on his datapad "What have they discovered about your Prothean implants?"

Christine was confused for a second until realisation dawned on her, he wanted her as a weapon or at least how to make such a weapon; along with any information her vision had. "You're not getting anything out of me!" she spat at him, her defiance and anger rising to overpower her fear. Before she could think anything else, she was flung to the wall again.

"Answer the question human!"

"Never!" she heaved out between gasping breaths and blurry vision, but she still got up and leaned against the wall. This got her a growl from Saren, her fear mounting once more. _No! I won't give in! I survived those tests, I can survive whatever he tries to make me talk, I won't give in to my fear!_

Saren turned off the barrier and charged at her, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the wall, growling. "You will answer my questions!" he seemed to pause for a second, as if debating something to himself, and Christine just took the opportunity. She knees him in the soft of his belly, caught by surprise he folds in on himself, releasing her. She swiftly follows with a kick to the face and then ran. The Geth at the door was blocking her, but she just grabbed at its head, intending to trip and toss it out of her way but something else happened. Her hands burned as sparks jumped between her hands and the Geth, it sputtered and spasmed before crumpling on the floor convulsing. She doesn't even stop to look and just keeps running down the hallway in the dark, before slowing and feeling her way forward. She heard more metal feet clanging on the floor behind and in front of her before she felt a junction in the hallway. She darted down the turnoff and sprinted as far as her sore legs and haggard breathing would let her, before nearly collapsing from the pain in her ribs and the lack of air to her muscles.

A light suddenly came on just above her, blinding her for a few seconds, before she became surrounded by five Geth. Saren's voice came over the speakers from one of the Geth "This is more of what I expected from the great Prothean weapon. Too bad you pitiful attempts won't let you escape so easily. I have other methods to get answers from you. Bring her in!" the speakers shut off and the Geth moved in and restrained her. She fought every movement but they were too strong.

 _No, no, nono! I won't go back! I won't give up! I must fight! Imustfight….. FIGHT!_ And her whole demeanour changes at that thought. At first she struggles with all her might, but didn't get any leverage, so then her body moves from offensive to defensive. She plants her feet, stopping the procession, becoming too heavy to move and glowing a faint purple. The Geth all look at her confused at what is happening, before she yells out a roar that is accompanied an outwards expanding electrical pulse, short-circuiting everything electronic in a 3 meter radius. When the pulse dissipates, the Geth all collapse around her, followed shortly and slowly by Christine. She has the presence of mind to realise what happened, before falling on the floor, panting. Before she loses consciousness, she sees Geth feet approaching her.

She slowly wakes up, exhausted and sore. She could feel tight restraints holding her down on a horizontal metal slab. _No! I'm in a lab again!_ Her panic takes a tight grip on her, making her pull frantically at her restraints. She freezes when she hears a chuckle from her right.

"No need to struggle. You are going nowhere. Sovereign has some interesting ideas on how to extract your information, and if they don't work, you will always be indoctrinated and give the answers freely soon enough." Saren said as he steps out of the darkness next to her. "You have been quite troublesome, but oh so entertaining at the same time. That you think you could escape." As he finishes, he is mere centimetres from her face, glaring at her. She completely freezes up in fear, unable to move except for pained and shallow breaths. This makes him smile before he turns away, motioning for someone beyond her view to enter. The Asari in the black dress steps up and nods at him, before getting close to Christine, staring at her intently. "Do what needs to be done, I don't care if you turn her brain to soup as long as you get the information."

"As you wish, Saren." Came Benezia's cold reply. Christine shivers involuntarily, trying to pull back but unable to move at all. She suddenly realises what Benezia intends to do.

"No! You can't mind meld with me! It doesn't work!" she tries to stop it but Saren just gives a scary smile at her.

"If you think you can get out of this that easily, you're mistaken once more. Continue with the extraction." Benezia's eyes just goes black, no speaking of embracing eternity or how we're all connected; just a sudden assault on her mind like a 10 pound hammer pounding away at a brick wall. Christine stiffens and pulls all her willpower together to keep her out, but the force just increases until she feels her mental barriers shatter like glass. Quick flashes of the beacon image run through her mind, before some of the experiments flash before her in their vivid detail and pain, before a mental explosion of nuclear proportions goes off, forcing the invading presence from her mind. When she opens her eyes, Benezia is hunched over, holding her head. They are both gasping for air and have sweat forming on their foreheads, a migraine already present in its wake.

"I can not enter her mind, she is able to force me out somehow. I only got enough information from her to confirm the beacon vision. There were some of her experiments, but they were all mixed up and confusing. I… I won't be able to enter her mind again for a few hours." She sounded astounded at first and ended sounding like she failed a strict master. Christine's head was throbbing too much for her to think much of it. And that annoying buzz at the back of her head still hasn't gone away, but she was able to keep it muted out most of the time, even if it made her headache worse.

"Impressive. But that does mean we will need to perform more invasive procedures." Saren seems to contemplate something for a minute before continuing, helping Benezia to her feet. "You can't help more here. Go to Noveria and clean up the mess there. Take Geth with you, Shepard will eventually follow you. Extract the needed coordinates and send them to me. I will take our reluctant guest to our research facility on Vermire. We can perform more thorough tests there." He turns around and leaves, but then stops and turns to one of the Geth standing guard. "Prepare her for surgery, and add access points to her nervous system." The Geth beeped at him in acknowledgement, before picking up a needle and syringe, heading over to her and injecting her with it. Soon her world fades out as once again, she is put under.

The whole crew was in a flurry of activity. They got a lead on Benezia at last. She was on Novaria, where they were headed now. It was only a day out from where they were currently situated in the Exodus cluster. Garrus only hoped they would be able to find some clue as to where Saren had taken Christine. It had been a tough few days for all of them. Everybody's nerves were frayed and they were snapping at each other over the smallest of things. Shepard did a good job of diffusing the situations, but it was starting to ware on him as well. Garrus could tell from the dark lines under the Commander's eyes, and the way he didn't have his normal endless patients with everybody. But once they heard of the lead, everyone focused on their jobs, preparing for whatever they might encounter. But most of all, there was a glimmer of hope. It was odd that they would have this reaction towards one person going missing; but then again, she is a civilian that was under their protection. They all signed up for this and if a soldier is lost on the battlefield, it is accepted and they move on to complete the mission, honouring their memory. There is no such thing with civilians, just the feeling of failing to protect them.

When they finally landed, Garrus inwardly shivered and groaned when he saw the blizzard outside, just knowing he would feel the cold through his suit before they were done with this mission. Once they got past the equally warm welcome from the ERCS guards, the port itself didn't seem so bad. At least it was warm, but he soon realised that that was the only good thing this place had. They had to plough through enough bureaucratic red tape and back deals to choke a Krogan. The port administrator, a Salarian named Anolies, ended up being no help at all and just made their job that much more difficult. Shepard's spectre status did next to nothing here except get them into the port with their guns. The secretary, however, seemed to know how to get them access and pointed them in the direction of a Turian by the name of Lorik Qui'in. Turns out the administrator was dirty and he needed them to get the evidence from his office, from which he was locked out while 'being under investigation'. There were also some of the local security forces that were being paid underneath the table by the administrator. Garrus had snorted at that comment. _Just like at C-Sec, people in power bending the rules to suit them, and dirty cops in their employ. Seems like there is no escape from this sort of idiocy. At least with Shepard here we can do something about it._

As he thought, they had to fight their way to the evidence and then fight their way back, but was stopped on their way back by the secretary. Turns out she is an internal affairs investigator, on the case of Anoleis's corruption. Shepard was able to convince Qui'in to testify and get the administrator arrested. Wrex looked like he wanted to choke someone by the time they had managed to get the pass to leave the port and head to Peak 15. At least he got to shoot some of that frustration out on the Geth they met along the way with the mako's guns and cannon. Shepard's driving seemed to be a bit better though, but that may have something to do with the sheer drop not too far from them. It was still a bumpy ride with all the Geth Shepard seemed determined to run over, but it was a manageable one at least.

But, as their luck would have it, they didn't just encounter Geth inside the facility. Some strange giant insect like creatures attacked them from vents or wherever they hid. They were tough and spit acid on them. Luckily they weren't overwhelmed and their shields would last long enough for the team to take them out. The damaged VI of the facility was able to inform them of where to reactivate the reactor and where to reattach the landlines so they could use the tram station to get to Rift Station, after they fixed it off course. The landlines were the worst, as they were on the situated on the roof…. The open and exposed roof…. They killed a few more Rachni there but Garrus felt like his fringe was about to fall off, frozen solid. Once they fixed everything - _Why were they always the one's that needed to fix everyone's problems?-_ they made their way to Rift station with the tram.. They found what was left of the research facility's staff, asked some questions on what happened and cured a locally developed disease and killed another of Saren's Asari lackey's in the process. There they learned that these bugs were indeed Rachni, much to Wrex's dismay and pleasure all at the same time. From there they got into the maintenance tunnels and into the Hot Labs where they came face to face with Matriarch Benezia, her commandos and more Geth. Shepard and Liara shared some words with the Matriarch before her attack was launched, trapping them all in a temporary stasis field, which they just managed to get out from before their assailants came within range.

It was a tough fight. Dodging biotics being thrown at them from one side, and having to duck bullets from the Geth at the other. Shepard got hit by a sniper, which Garrus promptly took down once he knew where it was. Wrex just charged into everything in front of him, using his shotgun as a club whenever it overheated. But they finally managed to defeat them and were now standing in front of the injured Matriarch, who surprised them by revealing to them that she could press through the indoctrination briefly. She explained how even she got indoctrinated, and how she had extracted the coordinates for the Mu relay from the Rachni queen. "There is one more thing Commander. The Prothean weapon has been moved to Vermire. Saren intends to extract more information from her there. She has been…. very resistant to reveal anything. I was not kind to her when I was ordered to extract the information, but I could not. She can block me out from her mind somehow. She was very brave but she can not last much longer, he will keep on pushing her until she breaks. You must hurry ….. I can not last much longer! He claws at my mind, gnaws at my ears…. I can not ….. you must … you must….. Die!" Benezia slipped back into her cold controlled persona, before they had to shoot her to defend themselves. She refused any help to save her life, and slipped from this mortal world in her daughter's crying arms.

The Rachni queen then spoke to them from a nearby dead Asari commando. It was freaky as hell and she talked in a very strange way, but they were able to make out what she meant. The Commander decided to spare the Rachni the fate they were bestowed a thousand years ago, much to the enragement of Wrex and Chief Williams. But they had to purge the facility from the crazy Rachni. _Hard to believe there is a difference between the one's they had been fighting and what they were supposed to be._ They barely made it out of there alive, fighting their way through a huge swarm of the creatures. All they could do was rush to the elevator and get out of there. A few of them had taken more than just acid burns and scratches, Shepard having taken a bad shot through his shoulder but they managed to make it back to the Normandy's medbay. He himself had some broken ribs from being biotically flung against a railing, but at least it didn't bend the ribs to puncture organs, so only breathing was hard.

After the report to the Council, they were heading to Vermire. Apparently there was a STG team already there to investigate the facility and had sent out a distress signal. Now they had two reasons to head there. It was a bitter sweet ending to the mission. They were able to get some of the intel they needed to catch Saren and get Christine back, but Liara had to watch her mother die in her arms, unable to save her because she was indoctrinated. He just hoped they would make it in time so Christine doesn't share the same fate.


	11. Chapter 11: Virmire

**_Soooo... I'm really sorry for having you wonderful and patient people wait so long for this chapter, but it ended up being a monster and I'm still not entirely happy with it. Anyway, life handed me enough lemons along the way I can hand out free lemonade. You know, between a case of writers block, a cold and some technical issues with both our internet and my laptop... Anyway. Thanks again to my lovely Beta, Commander Ray, for her help in finishing this chapter as well as editing, and thanks to all the lovely reviews, fav's and follows I've gotten. You people keep me going =^^= You know who you are, but a special thanks to Toothless Is Best for being there and asking if everything was still ok,and eurodox59 for highlighting some problems. Well, longest notes ever, and second longest chapter too. Hope it was worth the wait, Enjoy._**

Chapter 11: Virmire

Christine slowly came to with a groan, not caring if they heard her anymore and was once more strapped onto a vertical surface. The last few days- _or was it a week or more by now? Not sure any more…. Everything is just a blur of semi-consciousness-_ she found herself waking up in either her prison or on an operating table in the middle of some procedure. They barely gave her enough food or water so she constantly felt weak and had become a walking skeleton again. All she knew for certain is that they were trying to figure out her implants and grafts. Her healing had also slowed down the weaker she became. Her ribs were mostly healed but her more recent surgical cuts were slow to heal, needing to actually be bandaged up to help stop the bleeding. The last procedure did something on her neck at the base of her skull. It hurt a lot and it felt like something was pressing into her neck, but she could only feel over the bandage tenderly in her cell. Her hair had been shaved off around the site and the rest of her hair was just hacked off, leaving her with random short tufts sticking out. She still wore her undersuit, but is was now torn in several places, dirty and smelling of sweat.

Her eyes opened slowly, the world slowly coming into focus around her. She was in a lab again with a couple of Geth at some terminals. Further back in the dark and sterile room was Saren, studying a datapad, before he looked up at her and then stare at her with his cold blue eyes. "You are awake at last. I see the Protheans never truly finished their work, as you are becoming weaker. We actually have to keep you alive now, until we have what we want from you at least." He gave a mirthless chuckle. "Ironic how they described you as their redemption." Christine looked at him confused while he turned to the closest Geth "Prepare for the test, I want to know if this works before we reach the research facility." The Geth acknowledged with a whirr, before pressing a few haptic buttons, another whirr followed and Saren nodded.

Her fear was creeping up on her again but was soon overpowered by pain shooting through her neck into her brain, she gasped and then bit down on her tongue to keep herself from screaming, muffling the sounds that did escape through thinly pressed lips. It felt like fire was being pulsed through her head, burning every nerve ending along its path. Saren looked down at a readout and smiled to himself. A second later it felt like there was a presence in her head along with the burning fire. She struggled to block it out through the pain, and it seemed to press harder; but whatever mental walls she had left seemed to hold for now. The pressing stopped and moved to a different part of her mind. "Hmmmm….. Interesting. See if you can trigger it." came Saren's command. A few seconds passed with the fire moving through her brain from one end to the other before a strange tingle started up and enveloped her in a faint purple and green glow and she froze up. She was still aware of her surroundings but was unable to move or speak. "Very interesting indeed, a personal stasis field. Keep it up for now. We will see how long she can sustain it. Also makes moving her easier once we land at the facility. Prepare to mover her in an hour." Both Geth typed a few more things out before they left their stations to out of her field of view. Soon Saren follows to where they left and she was alone and aware of every painful second that passed for once.

She wasn't sure what kind of stasis this was but by the time Saren and the Geth returned she was still in it. "Very impressive, being able to sustain a stasis field for an hour. Maybe the Protheans made a trade-off for not being able to finish their weapon, making it able to survive more. But no matter, we have arrived." He turned to the closest Geth on his left "Keep the stasis field active while we move her out, but sedate her, we don't need her seeing a way out if she manages to escape. I'm sure the scientists will be very interested in this development as well." Panic raised in her chest to the point that it was constricting her airways but she was powerless to stop them as an injector was pressed into her neck, blackness soon enveloping her once more.

When she came to again, she was still strapped onto a vertical table, but was now in a very different room and wearing only a medical gown. The white walls and natural sunlight being a stark contrast to the gloomy dark and metallic prison and labs she had been in before. It even had a long window that spanned the length of the large room, with a view of what looked like a tropical paradise with a wonderful beach and an expanse of blue ocean beyond. It would have been beautiful if not for her current situation. A tugging pain was still at the back of her neck, like a weight was hanging from her skin strapped to hooks, while what looked like an IV drip was attached to her right arm. She also realised that the stasis field from before was no longer there and she could once again move. Well, sort of. She looked around her, finding other 'pods' around her with machine-like humanoids just standing in their pods, being scanned constantly by a rotating quarter circle arm around them. She remembered how Shepard and the others had described the human husks they came across on their missions, and she would hazard a guess that these things were these husks. She felt a shiver run down her spine at the look of them, along with another secondary tinge down her spine to the tips of her toes that felt like a minor electric shock. She wasn't sure what that was but just knew these things were bad news. The buzzing in the back of her head was still there but muted.

"Curious, reacting to sight of reaper forces. Also indoctrination should have shown effect on brainwaves by now but seems like having no effect." Came a soft, high-pitched voice from her left side. Further back at a console, a green skinned and red eyed Salarian was looking over some readings. Next to him was a young Asari assistant that took notes on a datapad of her own. Christine looked around her again and spotted her reflection in the adjacent pod's glass. This is the first time she saw herself in a mirror since being captured. Her long hair was non-existent, while her body looked like that of an anorexic just barely clinging to life, especially with all the bandages with red patches still covering her on some of the patches of visible skin. She almost didn't recognise herself with her sunken in eyes and bones sticking out of every curve like her skinned was just draped over a skeleton, but even that image didn't scare her the most. From her neck, there was a cable attached that led to a computer terminal behind her table. _What the hell! Are they trying to hack into my brain with wires?! Can that even be done in this day and age of tech?!_ the frantic thoughts fly through her head while she tries to get a grasp on her fear and anxiety.

"Fear response to visual identification of situation. No defence responses triggered so far. Must incite response in other manner. Moving to probing of bio-synthetic tissue connecters in cerebellum to trigger possible responses and gain access to training material and artificial memories." Came the monotone assessment before another pain shoots through her brain, feeling the minuet tendrils digging deeper into her head till they reached their destination. She was finally able to breathe once the pain subsided enough, only to be replaced by mild electric shocks, making her whole body convulse within the restraints along with the rhythm. "Hmmm… nervous system grafts compensating for foreign attempts to access synthetic brain connections. Refusing access." This line of trial and error continued for several hours as they try to probe her brain for answers, followed by her muffled screams at every failed attempt.

Finally the Salarian scientist finds her trigger locations in her higher thought processes, connected to emotional reactions. "Hmm, interesting choice of trigger mechanism. More regular use should make access easier." He turned to his Asari aid "Begin with fear trigger, see what kind of response is associated. Must document carefully, could lead to further data stored in other sections of brain." The Asari just nods at his instructions and types a few more things before more pain racks her head again. She fully screams out this time as her memories are flashed before her eyes of all the previous experiments and the fear they caused. But then she felt something deep within her head, a sudden calm flushing her and even the pain was merely a distant discomfort to her. Her entire body went limp for a second and a slight smile of relief came over her. Her mind went blank and she felt herself being mentally split, one part still in her body while the other was quickly gaining distance, feeling free but confined at the same time.

The Salarian scientist seems not to notice this development, only the visible effects. "Hmmm…. Curious reaction, no direct offensive or clear defensive actions but clear pain dampening and relaxing endorphins being released. Effects clear but no current benefits in possible combat situation. Brain activity rising but no visible reactions in that regard." While he rambles off on the brain chemistry, Christine has somehow managed to access their computers without them noticing her presence. She aimlessly browsed through all the files she came across, copying everything as she went even though she felt lost and wasn't sure what she was doing. She wasn't consciously thinking of it, it was just happening; until she came across the facility's blueprints and other projects. Her full attention was now on where she was, what they were up to and how she could get out. When she was done with the data gathering, she felt herself coming back into her own mind once more, only a few seconds having passed around her, just in time to catch the last of the Salarian's rambles "…. must need other way to trigger abilities. Might need direct threat, at least perceived one." He stepped away from his console and motioned for the Asari to take over from him. He picked up a scalpel and walked right up to Christine, holding the sharp end against her throat. Her breathing became erratic and her eyes shot up to him in fear, then darting around to try and look for a way out or means of defending herself, but finding nothing.

The scientist's eyes looked empty and hollow, like there wasn't any emotion left in him, or even a soul. When he spoke next, it was just as flat and emotionless but dead serious "I will cut your throat if needs be, give us what we seek and you will live longer." She closed her eyes as she could feel the prick of the knife into her skin with a small upwelling of blood on the surface. A sudden thought jumped into her head, just one word _INDOCTRINATED_ followed by _TERMINATE_ ; and she reacted. She roared out her rage and a sudden pulse wave blew him from her into the opposite wall, leaving a dent in the metal and a smear of green blood as the now limp body slid to the floor. She was left panting heavily with her vision tinted with purple and green lines before it faded, and her last energy along with it. She collapsed in her restraints, shivering from the exertion it had caused her, being faintly aware that she had wanted to push him away from her just before he was. A small trickle of blood started to run down from her nose. Her blurry vision recognised the Asari's form coming to look over the now dead Salarian while a huge lumbering blur came in to view at her right side, speaking in a deep gravelly voice "Huh, so there is something more to her after all. I'll take these experiments from here Rana…." The rest she didn't hear as she once more slipped into unconsciousness.

It has taken them nearly a week to get here, but at last they were stealthily in orbit around Virmire. The Relay trip was fast as usual, but the planet itself was far from the nearest relay; making it the perfect place to hide an illegal research facility, Garrus thought, as it was so far off the beaten track that even mercs won't bother with it. Liara and everyone else had recovered fully in the mean while and were ready for the undoubtedly tough mission ahead. Right now their problem was getting the AA towers down so they could land the Normandy at the STG campsite and figure out what the current the situation is. To that effect, the ground team was now assembled in the comm room for their pre-mission debrief.

"Right team, our first objective is to take out these AA turrets on the surface, before we can land at the Salarian campsite." The holographic display tilted and zoomed in on three points on the map. "There are several gatehouses at the control stations, presumably heavily defended with Geth that we will have to take out on foot and in the mako. There is a good chance that we will run into more ground forces, possibly Armatures and Colossus as well, in between the mako drop point and the AA tower controls." A route is highlighted on the map from the drop point to the camp site." Now, I don't need everybody with me for this stage, so Vakarian and Wrex will be coming with me. The rest of you will wait at the ready on-board until you land. From there we can assess the situation of the facility from the intel the STG can provide us, and plan our assault. Everyone will be involved in that last stage in some shape or form so stay suited and geared up. Any questions?" a few shaking heads but mostly silence "Good. Let's head out. Vakarian, Wrex; meet me at the mako in twenty. Drop in thirty. We will be going in hot. Dismissed." Everyone nodded their acknowledgement and headed out.

Everyone quickly suited up and looked ready for war, and in a way they were going to war. This could possibly be it, the end of the mission; if they were to confront Saren here. Garrus became excited at the prospect of finally nailing him, the bastard is running out of places to hide. But he remembered what Shepard had taught him with Dr. Saleon, he would not run in headstrong to seek justice, possibly endangering the mission and the team. He doubted that here would be any civilians that could possibly get in the way, but Saren could still use Christine as a hostage. That thought alone enraged him, he would not allow and civilians to get hurt if he could prevent it. He continued to ponder various scenarios and how to possibly solve them while he waited for the Commander next to the mako, Wrex leaning silently against his crates as usual, already fully armed and armoured. He hadn't spoken to anyone since his outburst after Christine's kidnapping. Even Shepard couldn't drag more than a few single word answers from him. Not that he cared much.

Soon Shepard came down the elevator and they piled into the mako, with Wrex taking the gunnery seat, while Garrus was on the scanners and navigation. They silently strapped themselves in, no words needed for them to know what to do. Only Joker's countdown to the drop breaking their silence, before they dropped through the air to their destination. "You got a clean drop Commander." Came Joker's voice over the comms.

"Good work Joker. Stay out of range and continue evasive manoeuvers until we can bring those AA towers down." Came Shepard's reply.

"I know the drill. Meet you at the campsite once you're done playing with the Geth. Joker out." the mood was so serious that no one even chuckled at Jokers attempt at humour. Shepard just gunned the engine and they went flying forward through the maze of jagged cliffs at the beach side. Wrex gladly blasting any Geth they came across into burning and sparking piles of scrap metal. And there were a lot of Geth. Luckily they managed without too much damage to the mako, Garrus only having to get out of his seat twice to fix some damage from the Colossus they took a few hits from. The gatehouses were easy enough to clear, especially with Wrex on the warpath. He and Shepard barely had to fire any shots before Wrex would have the placed cleaned out. He would even grab the pesky hoppers in mid-flight with either biotics or his hands, sending them crashing to the floor before blasting them with his shotgun. All too soon, the AA guns were off-line and they were headed to the Salarian camp.

"Commander, the Normandy's touched down at the campsite, but it looks like we're grounded. The Salarian captain can explain when you get here."

"We'll be there in a few minutes, Joker. Shepard out."

Once they stopped and exited the mako, Garrus left the Commander to talk to the Salarian Captain about the situation, Alenko and Williams already in discussions with him. He found himself a nice spot on the beach with a great view that reminded him of home on Palaven. It was rare that any mission brought them to as nice a planet as this, and if not for the circumstances he might even have taken the time to enjoy it. But there was too much running through his head at the moment and he was keeping half an ear on the conversation with the Salarian. Everything has just turned upside down and had been tossed around since he got that case to look into the allegations against Saren by the human embassy, but looking back at it he should instead thank them. He has seen and learned more from Shepard and his crew than his entire time in the Turian military and C-Sec combined. You know, besides basic weapon handling and regulations. And that's not even including the time-travelled human they found. This whole mission has just shown him how closed minded and small his view of the galaxy was.

His reverie was interrupted by the conversation he was listening in on, of one particular comment. "….mostly supply crates and weapons. But one of my recon teams spotted a delivery from a shuttle a few days ago, where a human woman was moved into the facility in some sort of stasis field with cables running from her neck to what seemed to be a control module held by one of the Geth. We still aren't sure what that is all about, as no other such deliveries were reported for the entire time we were here." was Captain Kirrahe's concise report.

All three humans seem to light up like … what was that saying, krismas tree? Something like that. Anyway, they brightened up on the news and nearly flooded the Salarian with questions from all three at once, he could even see Wrex look in their direction, obviously also listening in on the conversation. It almost made him chuckle if he himself wasn't more interested in the answers. Soon Shepard quieted down the other two marines and asked the questions himself. "Were your men able to get a decent look at her? Enough for a description? We followed another lead here as well, looking for a kidnaped woman of some importance." Shepard kept his professional mask on this whole time, but to those that knew him better could hear the undertone of concern in his voice.

"I will give you the report to go over, it is completely mundane otherwise." Kirrahe replied while transferring the file from his omni-tool to Shepard's, and continues without pause "But that is not our main concern here. This is definitely Saren's base of operations. He's set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with Geth and very well fortified." Shepard's omni-tool beeped at the received file, but he didn't look at it just yet, wanting to get all the information he could out of the Captain.

"Is Saren here? Have you seen him?" Shepard asked slightly more anxious.

"No. But his Geth are everywhere and we've intercepted some comms referring to Saren." The Captain relayed the facts in an almost emotionless tone.

"What kind of research is Saren doing here?"

"He's using the facility to breed an army of Krogan."

At this mention Wrex came forward and Garrus could see the Salarian tense up a bit. "How is that possible?" and it was the first time he heard any sort of emotion from the Krogan that wasn't anger, irritation or slight amusement. But that thought was immediately replaced by concern once his brain caught up with what the Salarian had said and its implications. Kirrahe gave a few seconds pause, probably considering the best words to phrase his answer in front of the Krogan.

" _Apparently_ , Saren has discovered the cure for the Genophage. We introduced the Genophage to the Krogan population after the Rebellions, to quell their numbers. Without it, the Krogan will quickly overrun the galaxy. And these Krogan follow Saren."

"The Geth are bad enough. If he had a Krogan army, ….. he'd be almost unstoppable." Garrus stopped listening at this point. _This is really bad. We need to do something and fast. But what I can't figure out why Saren would offer a cure for the Genophage to the Krogan, he is about as racist as Turians could get towards Krogan and even more so towards Humans….. Unless …. He's only using them with the promise a false cure, he is a 'results at all costs' kind of Turian…. To get them close for long enough to indoctrinate them…. I'm sure Saren wasn't above just cloning the Krogan that joined him_. His mental debate was interrupted by Wrex's bellowing voice at Kirrahe, before he stomps off and starts shooting at nothing in the water. _Ah…. Should have thought Wrex wouldn't take that news well. This might be a problem…_

He saw Shepard and the other two marines discuss a few more things, before he went over to talk to Wrex. _Spirits! Shepard walks a thin line between brave and crazy… and it normally tends to look like the latter._ He put his hand on his sniper rifle just in case, but doesn't draw it just yet. He doesn't want to shoot Wrex if he doesn't have to; but he will cover Shepard if needs be. He quickly took in the lay of the land for the best cover with good vantage points and saw Williams doing the same but actually drawing her assault rifle. Seems like she has even less faith in Shepard's abilities. Luckily Shepard pulls another miracle out of the hat and Wrex backs down after he drew his shotgun on Shepard, and everyone visibly relaxes. He guess he should have begun to expect the impossible around him, but it never hurts to be prepared for the worst.

Once everything calms down, Shepard first reads over the report Kirrahe gave him and then starts doing rounds to all of the ground team that have scattered themselves around the camp, while they waited for Kirrahe and his team to come up with a plan. Since he took a point on the opposite end of the beach to where Shepard had been with Wrex, he was the last to be visited. His mind wondered back to how Saren convinced the Krogan to join him in the first place. His thoughts also drift to Christine, in what condition she might be in after who knew what experiments that were done to her, how they might need to extract her under fire and what would be their best options if she needs immediate medical attention. One of them might need to make it back to the ship with her, and best for that would be either him or Wrex. He at least had no doubt that Wrex would keep her safe after his little outburst in the cargo bay, but he might be able to move faster. _It will all depend….._

"Hey Garrus. Credit for your thoughts?" Shepard's voice came from behind him.

"Hmm, Huh? Oh, Sorry Commander, just been thinking of all the possibilities of what awaits for us in there. You know, better to be prepared." He shrugged.

"That's good but don't overthink things. Anyway, I asked Tali to look at the hard-suit recordings from the recon scout that spotted the woman being delivered, to see if she could clear it up a bit and maybe get us a visual ID on who it is and what their condition was. See if you can help her with that while we wait. Shouldn't take too long and by then we should have a plan of action."

"Will do Commander." He smiled and wondered off to the tent he saw Tali go to. He quickly found her hunched over her omni-tool on a crate. "Hey Tali, Shepard asked me to help you with that hard-suit recording. What have you got so far?" he took a seat himself opposite her on another crate. It felt just like when he would start a new case back at C-Sec.

"I've already run it through several visual filters to clear up the image, but what the recon scout saw was through his rifle scope, the hard-suit doesn't have that high a magnification and so the image distorts by the time I digitally magnify it enough to where we could identify someone if the image was not so grainy." She sighed "You wouldn't happen to have a visual enhancement app that works in those circumstances? Along with a visual identification program?"

Garrus fained offence and put a hand on his heart dramatically. "Oh Tali, I'm hurt. You make it sound like I wasn't a C-Sec detective at all, and I was a very successful one I'll have you know." She glared at him and tossed a piece of scrap metal at him that was on the crate next to her. He laughs at her and dodges it effortlessly.

"Fine you bosh'tet." He wasn't sure, but her eyes looked like they were smiling. He never could tell with the Quarian and the mask. And she rarely left engineering to start with. "What program does the great detective have that will help with the image quality?"

"I actually have several programs for that." He boasted, bringing up his omni-tool to sync with hers. Part of his joy was just being able to do _something_ instead of just standing around brooding over possibilities. This way he was directly doing something to help find out if Christine is indeed here. The other part of his levity was just to break the seriousness of his own brooding. He often tried to use a few jokes to lighten the mood of himself and his co-workers back at C-Sec. Tali didn't reply to his boast and just went back to work on the vid feed. As they jointly ran a few visual enhancers on the recording, he heard Tali gasp followed by an almost whispered "Keelah". He looked up at her and saw what looked like shock in her eyes behind the mask, and when he looked down at the results of their latest run-through, his own breath caught mid inhale. They finally had a clear view of the woman's face…. and now he wished he hadn't seen it. Her body was so emaciated he wasn't sure if she was alive; she wore only a hospital gown with most of her body was covered in bandages with red spots on it where the blood had seeped through the white, her hair had been just hacked off it seemed and there was a cable attached to her head. He quickly ran the advanced facial recognition program he had, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't her. His omni-tool gave a ping as it had the result and his entire demeanour shifted first to sorrow and then to rage.

"It's Christine…. Spirits I could hardly recognise her….What have they done to her?!" he snarled out. When he looked up again Tali had a mixture of fear and sorrow in her expression, but not at his angry words and more from the shock of what they found.

"Keelah, we can't wait any longer! We need to go save her! This was from a few days ago, who knows what's happened to her by now. We have to tell the Commander." She jumped off her crate and dragged Garrus by his arm after her as they jogged to where Shepard was at one of the tents. He quickly pulled his arm from her surprisingly firm grip, but still kept pace.

"Commander! It's her! It's Christine!" Tali yelled before they reached Shepard. At this news he quickly turned to them with surprise and some relief on his face before it shifted to concern as he took in their expressions of worry and anger.

"What's wrong? What did you find?"

Garrus didn't even bother explaining as he just brought up the frozen and enhanced image of Christine being transported by the Geth, and tuned his arm to show to Shepard. After giving him a few seconds to analyse the image he finally spoke. "We need to get her out of there as quickly as possible Commander, she was in bad shape and this is from a few days ago. We need to come up with an extraction plan for when we find her as she would undoubtedly need immediate medical attention and we wouldn't be able to drag her through the base with us." He had to work hard to keep the low growl and his sub-harmonics at bay, only letting a bit of his anger sound in his voice. Shepard put a hand on his chin in thought, furrowing his brows together and gave a hum.

"I'll inform Chakwas to be ready, send her that image, it will help her prepare for what is needed when we bring Christine in. This changes our plan of attack though, I'll discuss it with Captain Kirrahe and see if he has a layout of the base for us." He turned and walked determined towards the Salarian Captain's tent. The rest of the ground team had gathered around them after the commotion and asked what they found. On showing them the picture, they all had the same emotions he and Tali went through just minutes earlier, with various curses and murmurs of anger being said under their breaths.

"Saren is going to pay for what he's done here." Came the angry growl from Wrex, the others nodding their approval of the sentiment. Even the normally shy and reserved Liara seemed angry and ready to head into the base and tear it apart. But he supposed those two had more reason than the rest of them.

They all waited a few minutes until Shepard came back and explained the plan to them. "Alright, as decided earlier, Alenko will be going with the Salarians to help coordinate the attack from their side. Williams, you will be setting up the nuke once we cleared the area and shut down those defence towers around the base. The Salarians will mount a direct assault on the base in three teams, while we sneak in as team shadow while the Geth are distracted. Everyone else is coming along on this one. We have two main objectives, first is to clear the base to the area where we need to place the bomb and take out the remaining AA towers. Second will be to find Christine and either send her back to the Normandy or protect her until the Normandy comes in to deliver the bomb, that will depend on where we find her and in what condition. When we do, Vakarian and Wrex will be the ones to keep her safe and bring her to the Normandy. We have no idea where she will be held, and only have a very basic layout of the base." He brought up his omni-tool and displayed the crude map they had of the base. "These are the possible entrances, depending on how heavy the resistance is we encounter once we reach them. Everything else we will have to improvise as we go. Any questions?" just a few shaking heads and determined faces. "Good, be ready to head out in ten." They all turned to listen in on the motivating speech Kirrahe gave his troops, before they split up into their respective teams and headed out.

The fight to the base wasn't as hard as Garrus had believed it would have been, but it wasn't easy either. They helped the Salarain teams out with what they could from their end by disrupting Geth communications, destroying the satellite uplink and blowing up a refuelling station along with some Geth rocket drones; before they reached the base itself. They took an alternate route into the base from the storm drain system, to get in behind the main defences that were undoubtedly waiting for them at the normal back entrances. That's when they encountered their first indoctrinated Salarians. They hesitated at first but shot them down quickly as they opened fire on their team. Garrus then quickly disabled the security system of the base before they continued. Room after room it was just Geth and indoctrinated Salarians, they even found some in cells that were in between mad and indoctrinated. One seemed to still have his senses, and they let him and the others around him go free to try and escape the blast radius.

Soon they came upon an elevator that took them to a lab full of husks in scanners, an Asari and a Krogan scientist. As soon as they were noticed all of them attacked at once. They all rolled into cover except for Wrex, who just charged the Krogan. Between the husks sent flying from his charge and the other's biotics, Garrus didn't even need to aim for the few left on the ground, taking each of the lazily floating targets out with a clean headshot. When all the shooting had calmed down and he was still scanning for any more assailants, Wrex bellowed out "I found her!" All of them looked up and then ran to his location at one of the research terminals hidden between two supporting columns. There they each gave a gasp as the pod containing Christine's battered, skinny and unconscious form came into view. _Spirits…. She looks even worse than on the recording…_ Her form resembled some of the duct rats on the Citadel but even worse, skinny and underfed, eyes hollow and sunken in with dark bruising beneath. Her head only had a few patches of hair left in short, random tufts, lips cracked with dried blood on them from her nose; and what was visible of her body was mostly covered in bandages with _fresh_ blood staining it. The only care they seem to have taken with her was an IV drip that hung next to her pod.

Tali quickly jumped to the terminal and opened the pod and Wrex tore off all her restraints and gently pulled out the IV needle, but as her body slumped forwards he gently caught her and cradled her in his arms more delicately than he has ever seen a Krogan handle anything before. It is as she slumped forwards that they realised she was still attached to a cable at the base of her skull. Liara came over and scanned her with her omni-tool, before applying some medi-gel to the most severe areas. "We need to get her to doctor Chakwas as soon as possible. She is stable for the most part but she is in really bad shape. Any further trauma could kill her. I am just not sure how we could remove the cable quickly without surgery." She scowled at her omni-tool for a few more seconds "These cables have fine tendrils embedded in her brain, and they seem to have some electrical activity. I am afraid what of what it might do to her if we just sever the cable."

Garrus and Shepard kept a lookout as the others worked, but they both glanced back at Liara's report, but at this Tali piped up while hastily typing away at the terminal "I think I can deactivate and retract the cable from here, just give me a few more minutes." They all anxiously waited for Tali to finish as several minutes pass. "Aaand, Got it!" she said triumphantly as she finished and they heard a whirr of machinery; Christine gasped, eyes shooting open but rolled back into her sockets, body convulsing slightly as the tendrils retracted and eventually the cable falls to the floor with her body falling limp in Wrex's grasp once more.

"All right team, we are closer to the bomb drop-off point than if we sent the extraction team back the way we came, so Wrex will take point to clear the way, Liara and Tali are on support while Vakarian will carry her and I will cover the rear. And Garrus, keep in cover as much as possible and only join the shooting if absolutely necessary. Let's move out!" came Shepard's orders and they quickly rearranged themselves, Garrus taking particular care at cradling Christine in his arms. She felt so frail and light in his hands it scared him; but he was determined to get her out of here as she has suffered more than any one person should have to suffer in a lifetime. He kept a pistol in his one hand that picked up her legs, while the other was holding her around the shoulders with a firm but gentle grip so she wouldn't move around too much if he had to run with her. Liara applied some more medi-gel to her now bleeding neck, stopping it and wrapping it up in a bandage before they moved out.

Down an outside walkway and past some more Geth they came upon an Asari by the name of Rana, a scientist that informed them quite a bit on the indoctrination studies that have been done here and the fact that Christine had so far been impervious to its effects and Saren was trying to make some kind of shielding or serum to help block it from what they were busy discovering from her brain scans. Saren was scared that it was also affecting him. To his dismay, Shepard let her go; personally he wouldn't have let her go because of what she had helped to do to Christine and who knows how many other Salarians. She took off running at the news that they were going to blow up the facility. Garrus just snorted at her as she ran down back to the labs. At least she gave them access to Saren's private lab. "You enjoyed that, Commander." He stated sarcastically. Shepard just gave a small smile but didn't answer.

It wasn't really a lab that they walked into. It was mainly just a console and an undamaged Prothean beacon. Garrus could see Liara light up in awe at it, well he had to admit it did look impressive. Christine murmured something in his arms as he shifted her a bit to get her a bit more comfortable. They had all gathered a safe distance from the beacon when Shepard stepped closer to activate it, suddenly being lifted up in the air with a pained expression on his face. Before Garrus could realise something was wrong, he felt Christine being tugged out of his arms, and as he grabbed after her instinctively, he too was pulled into the beacon's field. Images of death, destruction and uncountable horrors flashed before him in a split second; but just as soon as it began, an unfamiliar presence entered his mind, calming him somehow and shielding him from the remainder of the images. His last images was of something completely different, it looked like an actual memory.

* _"Release it!" he heard from an unfamiliar, deep voice before light flooded his eyes with the creaking of a metal cage and a shuttle door opening. Before him lay a ruined city with fires and piles of rubble where buildings once stood, crawling with what he realised had to be husks of the Prothean. He wasn't sure how he know this but he just did. Suddenly his body moved not of his own free will, and as he looked at himself he realised it wasn't him, he was reliving a memory from Christine's past and from her viewpoint. They jumped out of the shuttle and landed hard on the ground several meters below them. They got up and just walked towards the hordes of husks that were slowly turning towards them, one thought crossing her mind Indoctrinated, followed by TERMINATE. They suddenly jumped forwards and nimbly ducked, dodged and jumped, almost dancing around all the grabbing husks until they were right in the middle of a large crowd. Garrus realised to his horror that they had no weapons on them; but before he could panic about it, an energy built up within the body before it exploded outwards in some sort of electric pulse, frying all the husks around them in a 3m radius. From what he thought were just wrist guards, long duel blades sprang forth and they waded into the remaining hordes that survived outside the blast, with techniques he has never even seen before… during this whole time he noted she wasn't in control of her movements and just acted without thought but with a singular purpose._

 _"Redemption is functioning as expected with the grafts and combat data, now moving to testing biotics." He felt a shift in purpose, before green and purple lines tinted the edge of his vision and felt their body tingle with energy, but something was wrong, like it couldn't be projected over distance. Instead of projecting warps or singularities as he was expecting, nothing happened. It ended up only being a barrier and they continued to slice into the husks with their blades instead. "I said use your biotics!" the voice demanded from somewhere above them. The tingle of energy increased drastically, but still nothing more happened. He could feel the strain on the body and a trickle of what he suspected was blood running from her nose, while the husks closed in and started to hammer on her barriers. He heard her roar with the effort before an explosion ripped from her like a miniature nuclear bomb going off. Everything in the immediate area was flattened, and from what he could see, also all the husks in visible range were contorted or flung into walls. All the energy left them and they collapsed to the rubble. Before unconsciousness claimed them, there were footsteps and someone grabbing them by the arm and dragging them. "Redemption still has some technical errors to deal with and is unstable, returning to the lab."*_

He woke up with a gasp and a throbbing head, heart racing in his chest as if he just fought off all those husks with his own hands. It took him a few seconds to realise where he was and that only a few seconds had passed, as Tali was still heading over to him where he fell, and both Wrex and Liara were starting to lean over Christine that fell a few meters from him to his left. Shepard was on his hands and knees, shaking his head from the vision, just a few meters to his right. "Ugh…. What the hell happened? Feels like a Krogan used my head like a drum set. Is Christine ok?" he groaned and asked as he got himself up with Tali's help.

"You got too close to the beacon, _skull face_! What were you thinking? You're just lucky she isn't harmed, otherwise I _would_ be using your head as a drum." Wrex growled at him, picking Christine up from the floor.

"I was standing behind T'Soni! How was I supposed to know that could even happen! Whatever that was…" he retorted but before more threats and accusations could be made, Shepard stepped between them.

"Hey, knock it off you two! We still need to finish the mission first. Vakarian, you fit to continue?"

"Yes Commander, a little headache won't stop me that easy." He said, rubbing his temple with one talon, trying to sooth the pain away faster.

"Good, you'll take up the rear and I'll carry her the last distance; just to be sure. Head out!" they all filed out but not before Wrex shot him a glare while Shepard took the still unconscious Christine from him.

 _Great, just what I needed._ he thought to himself while they all filed up the ramp. Before they reached the door however, a projection activated on the console. "This… is not good" he drawled. A large, orange… _thing…_ seemed to glare at them before it spoke in a deep, dark, reverberating and distinctly artificial sounding voice.

"You are not Saren…." It began. Garrus's head was throbbing so much at the voice, he just barely followed the conversation but got the most important parts of it. This Sovereign wasn't just Saren's Reaper flagship but an actual Reaper! The citadel and the relays weren't made by the Protheans but by the Reapers themselves so they could control the direction in which civilisations evolved just to come in and destroy them. And they would soon attack in such numbers that they would darken the skies of every world…. Shepard stood up to the Reaper though, saying that organics would always fight for their freedom, and somewhere at the beginning of the communication had handed Christine off to Wrex, before the conversation ended with the windows of the lab blowing out at them. Joker radioed them frantically, saying that Sovereign just made a 90˚ turn and was heading their way, fast.

At this news all of them rushed out of the lab, with Shepard taking the lead this time. They made quick work of the Geth and Krogan they came across on their last few turns to the cooling units of the breeding facility. Wrex kept an almost constant barrier around himself and Christine whenever they were not in cover, and shielding her with his bulk when they were, sometimes taking pot-shots with his shotgun whenever enemies got too close for his liking. They finally reached the defence grid controls and tuned them off, and then headed to the drop-off point. Liara got shot in the arm at some point, but medi-gel had at least stemmed the bleeding, but he could see she was still hurting. Once the Normandy landed, Wrex rushed with Christine to the med-bay with Dr. Chakwas hot on his heals to the elevator, Liara following soon after at a more subdued pace.

"You should go to the med-bay as well, Garrus. Get yourself scanned. I was knocked out for 16 hours after my first encounter with a beacon, I have no idea how it interacts with Turian physiology, so best to make sure all is well." Shepard said from behind him as he watched the marines and Chief Williams placing the bomb.

"Only if you think it's necessary, Commander." He replied, hoping not to be taken off the mission just yet, the end being so close at hand.

"I do think so. We aren't sure what we are dealing with, with these beacons and even less so when they interact with a Turian. Now go before I need to make that an order, Vakarian." Shepard kept a stern gaze on the proceedings, not once looking at him.

"Yes, Commander." He finally said reluctantly after a few seconds pause and turned to head into the ship. When the elevator came back down, Wrex burst out of it, stomping his way back outside, shooting a look at him as they passed each other. Garrus didn't bother to look back at him and only got in the elevator himself and headed up to the med-bay. Once there he waited patiently as Chakwas was busy with Christine behind a privacy curtain while the nurse was busy with Liara on the other bed, wrapping up her arm. Chakwas burst out of the curtain, grabbed a few things from her desk, nodded to him, before returning to her original charge.

"What brings you here, Vakarian? You don't look wounded." She asked him from behind the curtain. Right then he felt the Normandy taking off and sighed to himself, having missed his chance to quickly return to the fight.

"Shepard wanted me to come back for a scan. I got hit by the beacon as well as Christine." He filled in the blanks for the doctor. He heard her stop her movements for a few seconds, before continuing her works, an overhead scanner starting to move over her patient.

"Very well then. But you will have to wait until I'm done here. She is in a near critical state of dehydration and starvation, and that's not even all her obvious injuries. Stevens, call in Emmerson to help come help me with the surgery, then run a thorough scan on Officer Vakarian." She ordered and the nurse jumped to action. Liara was rolling down the sleeve of her undersuit, picking up her arm guards, and looked up at him.

"Forgive my curiosity Vakarian, but what did you see from the beacon vision?" she asked tentatively.

He frowned at her from the unexpected question, not really sure he wanted to think about that right now, but answered with the truth anyway. "Hard to say what I saw, it's all a jumble of images…." He put a hand on his head as it began throbbing again at the memory "mostly I guess what Shepard had already described… Death, destruction nothing is really clear. One thing that was strange though was that _something_ shielded me just after the images started, and then it was like I was reliving a memory, but it wasn't my own. I think it was one from Christine, where the Protheans tested out their work by tossing her into the middle of a battlefield of a destroyed cityscape crawling with husks of some sort. I have to admit the things she pulled off was impressive and scary all at the same time, but she wasn't the one in control of her actions. Some command voice kept directing her and she just acted. Once it came to her biotics though, something was wrong, she couldn't project anything beyond her personal space until I think she overloaded herself and an explosion followed that levelled the place around her, then she blacked out…." He was stunned at his sudden verbal diarrhoea, not sure what started it but also couldn't stop it. He blamed it on his pounding head, wanting to sate Liara's curiosity and het her to leave him alone. When he looked back at her though, she was gaping at him and both nurses and the doctor were staring at him. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"You shared a memory with her through the beacon? That is incredible… none of my research even showed that this could be possible…"Liara looked awestruck and was not really looking at him, but before she could ask more questions, Chakwas intervened.

"Emmerson! Get that scan started right away! Make sure his neural activity is normal and note any changes for me. Keep him under observation until I'm done here." She ordered while getting her scrubs on. "Dr, T'Soni, I will have to ask you to leave now, we need to sanitise the room for surgery."

Liara was reluctant to leave but nodded and headed out the door. "Vakarian, take off your armour so it can be cleaned. You can remain in your undersuit and will stay on the bed until you are cleared, do you understand?" Chakwas spoke in a tone that bartered no argument and he just nodded. The nurse quickly took his armour pieces as he removed them and neatly piled them in a cleaning unit, before gesturing him to the farthest bed from where the operation was going to take place. Once comfortable, a decontamination field swept through the med-bay and the door sealed with a pressurising hiss, the control turning red.

"Please hold still for the scan." The nurse politely asked, before the scan commenced. For some reason, now that the adrenalin was out of his system, he became very tired, drained almost from the experience. When the scan was done he asked the nurse if it would be ok if he slept a while and she enthusiastically replied yes, saying the operation might take a while and his scans indicated mental exhaustion, but did not elaborate on what else might have been found. Right then he didn't care and fell asleep by the time the nurse had finished hooking up the needed observation equipment to his head and heart. His mind drifting to the images from the beacon in his dreams, followed by the vivid detail of Christine's memory, but could not wake himself from it until it was all done. Then, blissful nothingness.

Shepard watched as Ash prepped the bomb when a frantic call came in from Kaidan. "Commander, can you read me?"

"The nuke is almost ready. Get to the rendezvous point, Alenko."

"Negative Commander, the Geth have us pinned down at the AA tower. We've taken heavy casualties." Came her reply and Shepard's face fell at the news, he could hear the gunfire in the background as well. Wrex came up by his side, nodding that he is ready to go when needed. "We'll never make the rendezvous point in time."

"Get them out of there Joker, Now!" Shepard started to pace with a scowl on his face.

"Negative, it's too hot! Can't risk it! We'll hold them off for as long as we-…" and the line cut off.

"It's ok Commander, I need a couple of minutes to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet me back here." Williams reassured Shepard and nodded his thanks before straightening up fully.

"Up to the AA tower. Move!" and he jogged off with Wrex and Tali behind him. The Normandy taking off to be at the ready for pickup.

"How's Christine?" Shepard suddenly asks Wrex while they wait for Tali to hack the gate.

Wrex looks up surprised at him, but it doesn't last long before he answers. "Chakwas was checking her out when I left. Didn't ask, but the doc said she would be fine now." He shrugged, trying to keep his own concern from showing.

"Good enough for now. Now let's finish this." And right on cue, the gate starts to open. All three of them ducked for cover as two Krogan and some Geth hoppers open fire on them. Luckily Wrex was in no mood to play games and they were quickly taken out by a barrage of bullets and biotics.

But it seemed like Shepard's luck had run out for the day. Once they took an elevator ride up towards the towers, a Geth Dropship flew by back to the bombsite. "Damn. Looks like the Geth are sending reinforcements." Wrex bellowed.

"Heads up Chief, just spotted a troop ship headed to your location." Alenko came over the comms.

"It's already here. There's Geth pouring out all over the bomb site!" Williams responded.

"Can you hold them off?" Shepard's concern was no longer hidden behind his Commander mask and he started to pace on the small walkway towards the railing and back.

"There's too many, I don't think we can survive until you get here!" there was a tense pause "I'm activating the bomb."

"Williams, what are you doing?"

"I'm just making sure this bomb goes off. No matter what." And there was a determination but also resignation in her voice. "It's done Commander, go get Alenko and get the hell out of here."

"No Commander. We can handle ourselves. Go and get Williams." The two were arguing over the comms. But Shepard was deep in thought, weighing the pro's and con's of each option, but knew whatever decision he made, it would most likely doom the other as there would be no time to collect them before the bomb went off and they still needed to get a safe distance away. In the end, it's the classic case of saving one or saving many.

"Alenko, radio Joker and tell him to meet us at the AA tower." He finally said after a long silence and in a sad voice.

"Yes, Commander….I-I" was the shaky reply before being cut off by Ashley.

"It's the right choice and you know it LT." with more determination and fire than what Shepard felt at that moment.

"I'm sorry, Ash. I had to make a choice.."

"I understand, Commander. I don't regret a thing and it's been an honour." Before the radio cut off for the final time.

Shepard quickly sealed his emotions away from the world and put his commander mask firmly in place. When he looked over, Wrex seemed emotionless and Tali was wringing her hands together nervously, but a deep sadness shone through her eyes. He knew none of them envied his position right now, and even less would judge him for it. It came with being a commander in the military. He would deal with his own emotions over this later, but now his team needed him to stand firm and support them through this.

They quickly found the elevator that would take them the last bit up to the towers and came out to Geth swarming the platform. "You need to move fast, Commander! We can't hold them off here much longer." Came the crackled comm link with Alenko. They quickly waded into the Geth with no mercy, even Tali just overloaded them or shot them with her shotgun at the front next to Wrex.

Just as they thought it was over, the Geth being eliminated, they heard a distinctive hum permeate the air, before Biotic blasts were sent their way and they had to scramble for cover. Saren himself jumped off his hover board into the fray with a growl. Shepard stepped out and took a few shots at him, but his barriers were too strong and he barely flinched at them.

"This has been an impressive diversion Shepard. My Geth were utterly convinced that the Salarians were the real threat. Off course it was all for nothing. I can't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's really at stake here." He stated smugly at first and then went serious.

"Why are you doing this?" Shepard asks him, trying to figure out what made the Council's best Spectre betray them, and trying to bring an end to all civilisation as they knew it. They argued back and forth about the Reapers and that he is trying to safe people by working with the Reapers instead of fighting them. It is then that he realises that Saren already indoctrinated even if just subtly. He no longer thinks completely for himself and is merely a tool or puppet now with only a delusion of free will remaining. Now he understood why Saren was conducting those experiments into it. He was afraid he would lose himself to the indoctrination. Too bad it has already started. He thinks he can avoid it by remaining useful to Sovereign. Shepard tries to reason with him, but it was useless. In the end Saren decides that he needed to stop Shepard from 'undoing his hard work', and attacked.

They threw everything they had at Saren, but he kept them pinned down with just his pistol and biotics. Just as they thought they were pressing him back, he flung a huge warp at their hiding spot, exploding on contact. It sent all of them flying every which way. Saren dropped his pistol and pulled Shepard up and held him hanging over the edge of the tower by his throat. Before he could deliver a final blow however, the bomb alarm went off, distracting him for just the second Shepard needed to punch him square in the jaw. Both luckily tumbled beck to the ledge instead of over it. Shepard scrambled for his gun, but his vision was blurry and he couldn't aim properly, only seeing Saren retreat to his hover board and disappear in the distance. The Normandy came to hover just at the edge of the ledge, with the cargo bay doors opening and marines standing on the edge to help them aboard quickly. Shepard quickly helped the limping Kaidan aboard, while Tali and the marines helped the injured Salarians.

"Joker, can we still make it to pick up Ash!" Shepard jelled into him comm, desperate.

"We can't Commander, we will barely make it out of the blast radius as it is!" came the pilots anxious reply, the cargo doors already closing and the Normandy taking off. They helped the injured into the elevator and up to the med-bay to find it locked stating operation in progress. There were no serious injuries that couldn't wait, so they were treated with some medi-gel and painkillers, while they waited in the mess hall. Shepard kept himself busy until he could escape to his quarters, and once alone, he broke down and cried like he hadn't done in many years.


	12. Chapter 12: Fallout

**_I'm Alive! *Hides behind couch and tosses chocolates to appease readers*_**

 ** _Aghmmm... Sorry it took so long. Real life just didn't want to leave me alone, so due to the current unpredictability of when I will have a chance to write, I'm going to say that posting will be irregular from now on. But don't fret, I will finish this up until the end off ME1, where I will take a break to write up some chapters in advance and iron out my plotline a bit better. This is not the end of this story by a long shot :)_**

 ** _I just want to thank all the patient readers, lovely comments and my wonderful Beta, Commander Ray. In the end, it is you guys that help me to continue writing._**

 ** _P.S. Borrowed and modified an idea from_** XxWolfMan95xX.

 ** _Much love =^^=_**

 ** _Chapter 12: Fallout_**

 _"Hey skipper"….._

 _"….Ulysses was my dad's favourite…."_

 _"… fraternising is against regs…"_

 _"…..want to share a drink with me after shifts over?"_

 _Oh Ash… you didn't deserve this…. You had such a promising career ahead of you despite what the brass thought of your grandfather. And…. maybe even mean more to me than I was willing to realise at the time. Regret always comes too late…. The price we pay for freedom and peace is often a steep one; and the personal cost is sometimes even higher…_

Shepard sat on his bed, trying to deal with his decision that left a fellow marine, a friend, to die. He has never before left a man behind. Yes he's lost men under fire during a mission, but never deliberately left behind. He always promised himself that he would never leave someone behind again after he left Earth; and that is what was bothering him the most, even if it was the best strategic decision. Ever since his enlistment he would always find a way to make sure every breathing member of his crew came back. Heck, even during the raid on Elysium, he never left someone behind, barley even lost any men at all. And now this, this was a hard brick to swallow.

After a few final silent sobs he composes himself enough so he could go help his crew deal with the same feelings, slipping on the Commander mask he so desperately needed in this situation. Some have thought him impervious to such emotions in the past, but that is only because he learnt long ago how to internalise his fears and feelings, locking it away so he could help others to focus before he would deal with it himself when conditions were better suited to it. And always alone. He quickly rinsed his face to remove all the evidence and changed out of his armour before he headed up to the CIC.

Everyone was already gathered for the debrief; except Garrus, who was apparently asleep in the Medbay from mental exhaustion, from the last update he got from the nurse; Christine's condition still too fragile to make any predictions until Chakwas was finished. His mind briefly flashed back to how it felt just after he woke up from his first beacon encounter, and he groaned internally at the unpleasant cold feeling it leaves behind in him even now. Alenko was also present with his arm in a sling, leg and waist all wrapped up in bandages under his Alliance fatigues, and smelling heavily of medigel. He looked like he was beating himself up over the whole situation and was barley holding it together, almost the same way the Commander felt, but didn't let it show. Shepard avoided looking at the empty seat next to him as he was about to get started, but Kaidan jumped the queue "I.. I can't believe that Ash didn't make it. How could we just leave her down there?" he sounded like he was now accusing him of just leaving her behind. Survivor's guilt, he presumed, will make you try and either blame yourself, or someone else; so Shepard responded in the most sympathetic but diplomatic way he knew how.

"Williams knew the risks going in. She gave her life to save the rest of us."

Kaidan's brows furrowed and his voice softened "But why me? Why not her?" he asked as he looked pleadingly at Shepard.

Shepard sighed and turned away from his friend, putting his head in his hands, before rubbing them down his face before he spoke again "It wasn't your call, Alenko. I had to choose. I chose you because it was strategically the best choice. I save the Salarians along with you, instead of just one soldier. And I knew Ash wouldn't let any Geth near that bomb until it went off."

But this still didn't seem to satisfy Kaidan's guilt "But if I'd done my job, you wouldn't have had to make that call…"

This was starting to grate at his nerves, but Shepard tried to reply calmly "Kaidan, I will only say this once; it wasn't your fault. It wasn't my fault. You were overwhelmed by the Geth. The only one to blame here is Saren."

This seemed to work as Kaidan stammered his reply "Yes, sir. I'm….. We'll get it done."

"Good. Keep your head on straight, and we'll make Saren pay for all that he's done." The Commander replied with a sense of relief and renewed determination, and Kaidan nodded with a slight smile, before Liara shyly interrupted.

"Commander? Excuse me for interrupting. But I was able to talk to Officer Vakarian before I left the Medbay, and it gave me an idea. I think the beacon we found in Saren's base was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime, according to what he explained to me. Although he apparently only received part of the vision, it may have filled in the missing pieces of your vision. I might be able to help you put all those pieces back together."

This piqued Shepard's interest. _Finally, we might still get something more out of the big mess on Vermire._ He stood, walking over to her while talking "He saw the vision? But how come he only saw part of it? And if so, how do you then know it will complete what fragments of the vision I have?"

Liara looks a bit taken aback and stammers her shy answer, starting to ramble off all of her reasoning "He-he said he saw what you described from your visions. Death, destruction and machines. B-but he then experienced something else, like something was shielding him from it. I do not know what that was, but he then experienced what he believes to be a memory from Christine's past with the Protheans; where they sent her out into a hoard of husks to test her capabilities. As you saw, she was also in the Beacon's field during this time and must have somehow shared the memory with him, the same as how the visions can be transferred through the Beacon, I believe. It did not look like you experienced the same effect and I am not sure if it means anything, Shepard, but there is a chance your vision is more complete now."

"Ok, take a breather Liara." He gave her a few seconds just to breathe and relax a bit, holding up his hands in a placating manner, before he continues. "Now, you said he shared a memory with her? Any more details that he gave you on that? It might give us some more insight into what she can actually do."

Liara looked a bit nervous, but answered the question regardless. "He… uh… did not explain in detail, but he said she was impressive and scary at the same time, but that she was not in control of her actions. Some 'control voice', as he put it, directed her and she just acted. When they tested her biotics, however, something was wrong; she could not project her abilities beyond her personal space. When she tried harder it must have overloaded her and caused some kind of explosion before she blacked out."

"Hmmmmm, note to self. Don't let her use her biotics too much, or better yet, not at all. We don't want an explosion inside a space ship after all. And now we know why she can't control her abilities, they must have used some kind of 'master control unit'. We can ask Chakwas about it later though. For now, I think you want to join our minds again, don't you? Okay. Go ahead." He concedes and tries to relax.

For the brief seconds that they 'Embraced Eternity' together, he felt the familiar warmth and probing of Liara's presence in his mind, and he tries to recall everything needed before the beacon vision flashed before him once more, only this time it felt more ordered and coherent. It still didn't make any real sense though. Underneath the felling of cold and horror that the vision normally evoked, he felt a sense of awe and …. was that … attraction? _It couldn't be? Could it?_ But before he had time to explore the emotion further, the vision ended and he was back on the Normandy.

"I... I never thought the images would be so… intense. I need a moment to collect myself." Liara stammered out, a little breathless as her hand goes to rub her forehead. He noted the faintest darkening of her cheeks before it vanished behind her hand rubbing her head.

"Did the vision make any sense to you this time?" He asked, a little agitated. He wanted this mystery vision solved, he can worry about anything he saw or felt or didn't, later.

"It's a distress call, a message sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the Reapers, but the warning came too late." Liara said, voice trailing off into sadness at the end.

"What about the Conduit?" _Isn't that what Saren is after, and didn't he get that from the visions himself?_

Liara seemed to contemplate for a few seconds before she answered "There were other images. Places I recognise from my research… Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the Mu Relay! It's the only way to get to Ilos." she exclaimed happily.

 _Finally! We have a solid lead! But…._ "How come you never told us about Ilos before?" he asked with his serious gaze focusing on her.

"The Mu Relay links to dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds. How was I to know Ilos was the one we wanted?" Liara replied calmly but defensively. "Without the Cipher, the images in your vision were never clear. Only now do I recognise them as landmarks from Ilos."

Shepard sighed to himself "Fair enough. We need to get to Ilos, and fast! Saren is probably already on his way there."

"Forget it. The Mu Relay's inside the Terminus Systems. Alliance ships are not welcome there. Neither are Spectres."Tali chimed in, trying to make Shepard think of his actions before they run headlong into a different problem.

"The Conduit's on Ilos, so that's where Saren is heading. I'll be waiting for him when he gets there!" _Since when does his crew disagree with him? Can't they see that they need to finish this with Saren sooner rather than later?_

"Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. You will never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the council. We need a fleet to…. Oohhh" her calm, logical words trail off as she begins to sway, bringing a hand up to her forehead again. Shepard's defensive stance shifts immediately to concern with a silent question on his face. "I am sorry. The joining is… exhausting. I should go to the medical bay and lie down for a moment." Liara politely shrugs off his concern and the need to see Dr. Chakwas; stating she only needs to rest some place quiet. He nods in understanding and dismisses his team.

While they leave, he mulls over what they said and comes to the conclusion that they are right. They need the Council's backup on this one; if only to get a small fleet there to distract the Geth fleet from the planet so they could go in and land. He sighs to himself at his brash bullheadedness, although he would never openly admit to it. Joker comes over the overhead comm's, stating that there is a comm buoy nearby for him if he wants to report the Council. He asks for 5 minutes so the team can clear out and he could collect himself and go over the details one more time before he would have to face them and try and swindle them into his way of thinking…. He hoped. Joker just laughed at his statement but didn't question him further, asking only if he should get a ship-wide donation fund going to help with the bribe money. They laughed together, and he was thankful for the break in the tension before he was thrown to the wolves again.

As expected, the Council refuses to listen to his reason, not having enough proof. But he guesses he should look on the bright side. They were pleased that Christine was saved though, and essentially gave him the go-ahead to 'do what he feels is necessary against the threat'. What that was, he wasn't sure yet, but they had almost a week's worth of travel still left before they reach the nearest active Relay, so he had time to come up with a proper plan. Hopefully by then Christine will be awake and healed enough to give them some insight into what Saren was up to, but he was not sure if she will have any further information for them. But mostly he was glad that she was safe once more and back on the road to recovery. Shepard decided to do his usual rounds, but now more to help the crew with the very same emotions he has warring inside of him. He needs them each at the top of their game for this final stretch of the mission. Maybe he will swing by the Medbay once he was done with his rounds to see how Christine and Garrus were doing. And after talking to Liara…. He needed to find out if what he felt during the meld was true or not. He can deal with his own emotions later.

The first thing Garrus felt as he started to wake up was his splitting headache and sore limbs from the difficult mission. It felt better than directly after the beacon hit him but everything still ached, and now the smell of medi-gel and antiseptics burned his nostrils instead of burned flesh and heatsinks. He groaned as he tried to open his eyes, the light stinging like daggers into his head, and he squeezed them shut again. There was a shuffle of material and a chair moving out from the direction of his feet, and he could see the light dimming through his eyelids, before the soft and caring voice of Dr. Chakwas reached him. "I dimmed the lights for you Vakarian, you should be able to open your eyes more easily now. But take it slow." as her comforting hand rested on his shoulder.

He complied by slowly opening one eye, and then the other. As his vision focused on the white roof of the Medbay, before the doctor brought her head into his field of vision. "Hmmm… Pupil dilation looks normal. How are you feeling?"

He groaned again before trying to get up, but she quickly pushed him back down with a firm hand. He reluctantly went back down, not yet having the energy to fight the doctor's orders. "Feels like the worst hangover I've ever had. And sore all over… someone get the registration of that Mako that ran me over?" He croaks out in a dry and raspy voice that he hardly recognises as his own.

Chakwas softly chuckles at his attempt at levity. At least it showed that he was more himself. "I'm afraid you will have to ask the Commander about that one." She helps to bring his bed into a more upright sitting position and hands him a glass of water and some painkillers "Here, this should help, with both your head and limbs." Her soft smile slowly falling.

"Thanks" he croaks again before gratefully downing the meds and soothing water. "How long was I out?" he asks as he hands back the glass, noticing the doctor's fallen face, concern now pulling at his features and lowly humming in his sub-harmonics. "What's wrong doc?" he finally asks, his normal voice returning.

She is silent for a moment before answering in a professional and flat tone "You were out for solid 12 hours, Officer Vakarian." He gapes at her and was about to ask more questions when she held up a hand to stem the flow of questions before they even began. "Your mind needed the rest apparently, I know Turians can get by with only 4 hours sleep a night and it is most likely unusual for you to be out that long without medication. To say your brain activity was all over the show would be an understatement. I eventually gave you a sedative that seemed to calm you down enough to laps you into normal sleep patterns. You also required minor surgery to remove a few bullets you neglected to inform the commander about. Luckily they were all flesh wounds and were treated easily. After that I just left you to recover in your own time." She calmly replied. There was sadness laced in her voice that she was trying to hide. Why, he wasn't sure yet. But he was still taken aback about how long he had been out.

After a few attempts at speech but failing, he finally reorganised his thoughts enough to ask "What happened while I was out? How did the mission go?"

Chakwas seemed to sober up from her stiff professionalism and her features turned soft and apologetic. "We ….. we destroyed the facility. The STG took some heavy losses but the remainder of their unit is on board. But… the commander had to make a tough call. Alenko and the STG were pinned down by the AA towers, on his way to help extract them, Geth dropped into the bombsite. Williams activated the bomb. Shepard only had time to save one of them… they made it to Alenko and were able to help them clear out the Geth, before they faced Saren himself. He got away. And by then there was no more time left for Shepard to retrieve Williams as well. We …. we left her behind, guarding the bomb until it went off….." Chakwas was now looking at the floor, silent.

He himself was silent in contemplation. So much had happened in the time he was out, and they lost a squad member….. for the first time, they didn't all make it back. He might not have cared that much about the Gunnery Chief, but she was still a part of the team. A comrade in arms. On the battlefield they had no qualms. They each did their jobs and watched each other's backs. Even off the field, she was slowly warming up to the non-human crewmembers. He personally hadn't needed to deal with this loss since his military days. C-Sec being relatively safe in that regard, close calls yes, but no losses. It was a bit hard to digest just how he felt on the matter when he remembered something else "Doctor, how is Christine? Is she all right?" he didn't realise he was holding his breath for the answer, hoping they made it in time to at least save her as well as destroy the facility.

Chakwas answered in a saddened voice, the loss still weighing down on her. "Christine is recovering. I'm keeping her in a medically induced coma for her body to heal, but I'm not sure what her mental state is currently. She is too fragile right now to chance her waking in a panicked state. When she was brought on board, her organs had just started shutting down from the constant strain they were under, even now she is being constantly monitored and is on a respirator as her breathing has failed twice during surgery. Her unnatural healing ability seems to have also degraded along with her condition. I am not even certain if it will start up again since we still can't determine how it started in the first place. I have done what I can to help her, we can't add the regeneration units around her since they use the body's available energy reserves to accelerate the healing process; and she has basically none left. It is now up to her own natural ability to heal until she has sown some significant improvement."

He listens in silence; worry, concern and sadness all warring inside him, spilling out into his sub-vocals before he could clamp down on it, being glad that humans can't hear how much control he lost over his emotions in his current state. He knew this was more than just professional concern for her, but wasn't sure what it was himself. He does however, know that many of the crew that had interacted with Christine had come to befriend her, even saying she was like a little sister to them. So he didn't pay it much mind right now. She was, after all, almost on deaths door, as the human saying goes; so being concerned for a friend was natural. At least, he presumed they were friends, he never really thought to ask her about that considering how shaky it started out. But they would probably have to start all over on building trust again, after Saren tortured her again.

Chakwas gives him the all clear but that he should report back to her immediately if anything changes or any additional symptoms came up. He was also restricted to light duty for the rest of the day and could resume normal operations the next day cycle after she gave him a check-up. He merely nodded his thanks, but had a different question for her. "Doctor, can I see her?" his voice wavering a bit. He wasn't sure if he should see her right now, but he felt like he needed to at least be there to reassure her that everything will be alright.

She gave him a frown at his question, but then sighed and her features softened to that of a caring mother. "I have not cleared her for any visitors yet, but since you have been thoroughly decontaminated along with the room for the surgery, I guess a brief visit is not out of the question. Five minutes only though. She needs all the rest she can get, and you need to eat something. Turians don't have the back-up humans do in relatively larger amounts of body fat for reserves. Also, refrain from touching her please. "

As if to prove her point, his stomach gives a loud growl and gurgle, startling the both of them and making the doctor chuckle. "Case in point. But thanks Doc."

He slowly got up on shaky legs after laying down for so long without movement, and not getting any food into his system since before the mission stated over 18 hours ago. He's sure the doctor gave him some fluids with an IV, but that doesn't stop the feeling of an empty stomach. Chakwas helped him to the privacy curtains that were around Christine's bed, holding onto his elbow to balance him, stopping with her hand in the air before opening the curtain for him. "Just be prepared for what you are about to see. It isn't pretty, but she is slowly improving." He gave her a nod that he was ready after a few seconds, and she moved the curtain from his view.

He gasped as soon as he laid eyes on her. She looked so frail, broken and thin; even after seeing her when they extracted her. Nearly her whole body was wrapped up in bandages, at least these were clean and didn't have as much fresh blood on them as before, covered by a thin linen. She was on a respirator and her heartbeat monitor beeped so slowly and softly, he could have missed it. Her face, oh Spirits, her face… was covered in either bandages or bruises, her head also wrapped up. What he saw before him didn't have any connection to the happy, shy but sometimes bubbly personality of Christine. He didn't even notice that Chakwas had left him and retrieved a chair or him to sit on, until she helped him down to it.

He reached a shaky hand towards her face, but stopped halfway, remembering the doctor's words, and then slowly retracting it. He keened for her pain and what she had been through, what she had to endure once again. This was even worse than what was done to Dr. Saleon's employees, because she had been an experiment now for the third time round. His sadness didn't last long as the it was turned into anger, a fire starting deep inside of him, giving him renewed determined to make Saren pay for all that he's done to her, to the image of his people, to all those colonists that had to suffer by his hand and the Geth's, and for Williams to have to sacrifice herself for them. A low growl came from him, but it stopped when Chakwas gave him a pointed and knowing look. Before he could breathe a sigh to calm himself down, Christine's heart monitor beeped louder and a bit faster, so he instead gave a sharp inhale, while Chakwas rushed to the monitor. He saw Christine's hand twitch, and he gave it a quick but soft squeeze, removing his hand before Chakwas could see it. He then did the only thing he could think of, he lowered his head to her ear and whispered "It's ok Christine. It's just me, Garrus, your friend, remember? Everything will be fine now, just rest and get better. Dr. Chakwas is taking good care of you. I'm..." he huffs a sigh before he continued "I'm sorry we weren't there sooner to save you. I-I... Just get better, please…" an almost inaudible purr escaped him for a few seconds, to try and comfort her.

Without thinking, he gently rested his forehead on what little was exposed of her head, before catching himself and quickly jerking back, eyes as wide as saucers. Luckily for him, Chakwas was too engrossed in the machine's readouts to have noticed. He did notice, though, that her heartbeat steadied and slowed down once more. And he breathed a sigh of relief. When the doctor was satisfied that there was no emergency to be had, she turned to him "This is what I meant by 'she is in a fragile state', Vakarian. I am sorry, but you will have to leave now until she is cleared for visitors." He sadly nods his understanding, and slowly got up from the chair and moved towards the doors. His armour wasn't in the cleaning unit anymore, so he presumed it was moved to his locker. He was at least still wearing his undersuit and not a medical gown, so he left for the mess hall; planning to shove as many ration bars as he could stomach down his throat, before going to get a shower and then reporting for duty to Shepard. He would probably want to debrief him himself and get the doctors recommendations on his fitness for work. Then,... maybe when he is busy with some mundane task, and doesn't have a fuzzy head from the headache and meds, he could think over what just happened. He was sure he was just over thinking it, and thinking hurt right now, _a lot._

A few days pass with only minor improvements in Christine's condition; and it has everybody worried. The females of the ship all whisper their concerns to each other, but no one wants to voice it aloud. Too bad he hears it anyway whenever he is in the vicinity. The only whispers he pays any attention to is that of Dr. Chakwas when either Shepard or Tali ask her directly on her condition when they are together in the mess hall. The updates are not bad news, but there is no real good news either. She made her best improvement that day he had seen her, and it had slowed to a crawl after that, but was still ongoing at least.

On the fourth day after he left the Medbay, she had recovered enough to have her respirator removed and would be cleared for visitors after lunch, but would still be in a coma for another two days at least. This news spread like wildfire amongst the crew and Chakwas was forced to make a list of when who would visit and for how long, so they would not all cram in the Medbay all at once; and still leave Christine with enough time in-between groups of visits to recover. Garrus put himself on the last visit shift, thinking that he had at least seen her after the surgery where the others did not, and he needed a lot less sleep than most of the crew, so he could afford to stay up late for his visit.

While he waited for his turn, his mind wondered back to what had happened that day, as it had every time he started thinking of her in general. He was still uncertain as to what had prompted his reaction, other than he was still high on medication and did not think clearly, letting is emotions run all over the show. The best he could come up with is that it was his over exaggerated concern for her as a friend, the medication and headache keeping him from limiting it to the appropriate level. So why then, did this still bother him after he convinced himself of what it was that happened. His thoughts were derailed by the chiming of his omni-tool's alarm. He had 10 minutes to finish up cleaning the weapons, before it was his turn for a visit. His previous thoughts forgotten, he quickly reassembled the spectre requisitioned sniper rifle that Shepard had gotten him on their last visit to the Citadel, before putting on clean gloves and heading up to the medbay.

Chakwas had already changed shift with the night cycle nurse when it was his turn. Christine still lay motionless on her bed in almost exactly the same state he last saw her in, except for the removal of the respirator and her heartbeat monitor sounded a bit stronger and mildly faster than before. This gave him hope enough that she would pull through once again, and he took a seat on the chair by her bed, taking her hand in his. It was cold, colder than normal for a human but he assumed it was from her inactivity; any serious temperature drop and the doctor would be all over her. He has had enough interactions with humans to at least know that their body temperature was lower than that of a Turian's.

Now that he was here though, he didn't know what to do. There was no hurry for him to leave too soon, there was no sudden increase in heart rate that had them all worried or anything from before; just a sense that he needed to be here for her for at least a little while. Eventually he started talking softly "I- uh… hmm… not sure what should be done in these situations. I guess the others were already here saying how you should get better soon, how they all miss you and how glad they are that you're back. So …. um… get better soon, we all miss you…. I miss you too….. Your tech lessons were always something I could look forward to, now I'm just bored and frustrated with fixing the Mako every time Shepard manages to wreck the thing while he is 'supposedly' driving."

He chuckles to himself, finding a sort of peace just talking to her. Her heart rate had picked marginally as he started talking, but stayed steady and in a normal range for someone that was sleeping. He remembered something about people in a coma could sometimes hear what was said to them, so he took it as a good sign and continued "So save me from boredom would you? Nobody has been the same since you were gone. Spirits, you should have seen Wrex. He was permanently on edge and ready to rip anyone apart as soon as they looked at him wrong. Tali seemed depressed and sad most of the time. She didn't even try to drag me into a conversation about the drive core once! …" He continued just talking to her, not noticing his own head drooping and falling asleep with his head on the bed by her hand, still holding it in his own.

 _*BEEP* …. *BEEP* …. *BEEP* …. *BEEP* …. *BEEP* …._

Sound was the first thing to come back to her, the slow steady rhythm she had become accustomed to as her heartbeat on machines. In between she would hear soft murmurs of voices in a far off place. Sometimes she could make it out, other times it was just too distant, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move or open her eyes.

 _"…. –took some bullet wounds he didn't tell you about, but he is healing fine. His mental exhaustion is keeping him-…."_ she couldn't distinguish one voice from the other, they all sounded the same but weren't.

 _"… thank you for your help and expertise doctor. My team will be leaving once we reach the Citadel and the STG will send you some supplies as thanks-…"_

 _"….- both improving well, under the circumstances. Our guests have been treated - …."_

It seemed to be a while after that before she heard more voices again, this time she could hear that it was two different voices, but they still weren't distinct enough to identify.

" _… -induced coma for her body to heal, but I'm not sure-…."_

Soon after that there was a strange noise very close to her, she wasn't sure what it was but it sounded sad; soon it changed into a growl and it reminded her of how Saren had often sounded around her and fear started to creep up in her mind, thinking that perhaps she is still in that facility under his scrutiny. She wanted to scream, to run and hide, but nothing happened. Before her panic became rampant, a warmth spread from her hand with a soft squeeze for a brief second before a gentle and soothing voice came close to her ear. She couldn't hear everything, but it was the first voice that sounded familiar.

 _"… -ok Christine. It's just me, Garrus, your friend, remember? ….. - fine now, just rest and get better. Dr. Chakwas is …"_ she felt a huff of warm breath on her neck _"… -sorry we weren't there sooner-…... I-I... Just get better, please…"_ the last part came through clearer than the rest, along with a soft purring noise she never heard before but was almost like that of a cat but not the same and it helped calm her down, knowing her friend was there and everything would be ok. A gentle warmth pressed to her forehead for a brief second before it disappeared and it went silent again. She ached for more of the contact, the warmth and comforting words, as they were a link and an anchor to the real world, telling her that she was still there; but it was gone all too soon and it was silent for a long time afterwards. She started to feel depressed and lost in this void, but held on to the tiny shred of hope that she could get through this with her friends all waiting for her to get better.

Christine wasn't sure how much time passed after that, but it felt like an eternity to her, before a horrible feeling of something being pulled from her made her gasp and gag a bit. Some more words followed about getting better and allowing visitors drifted by in her mind and she felt hopeful that she could really wake soon. She was tired of this constant dream world where she didn't really sleep but neither was she awake. The Beacon vision had passed through her mind a few times, along with her past experiments, but she was used to it by now.

Some time after that, she felt a warmth and pressure on her hand again with words from different voices filtering through. One sounded distinctly like Wrex, saying she needed to hurry up and heal so she could beat his ass on the matt like she promised, while another sounded like Tali and Liara, every one that she knew seemed to have come by to talk to her or hold her hand for a short while. It made her want to smile and return the soft squeeze they gave her hand, but nothing outwardly happened. Lastly she felt one more person holding her hand, this time it was warmer than the others, and the comforting voice from before returned. This time she recognised it as Garrus and just listened contentedly as he told the stories of what happened while she was gone. She felt sad that she had caused them so much grief, but happy now that she was back with them. The talking soon drifted off and she would have thought that he had left if it wasn't for the warmth that lingered around her hand. It puzzled her because he stayed longer than any of the others had.

For the first time she felt the need to wake herself up and see what is happening around her. It felt like an uphill struggle on a slippery slope, but she wanted out of this constant limbo and she needed to know what was going on around her; she was determined, and one of her best qualities was that once she set her mind to something, she would succeed no matter how hard it was or how long it took her. Eventually it felt like something gave, then shattered and she could feel her normal senses coming back to her slowly. She smelled the heavy anti-septic in the air, could see the light through her closed eyelids and heard the monitoring machines more clearly, along with a separate, soft breathing besides her own. She was able to flop her head in the direction of the breathing, softly groaning as the muscles ached, before she slowly opened her heavy eyelids.

Her vision was blurry for a while, only able to make out vague shapes and colours; but did note most of it being white. It should have been obvious that she was in the medbay, but her heavily drugged brain took a few seconds longer than normal to make sense of it all. Once she realised this and her vision had cleared mostly, she also saw that there was a curtain around her, and that the only bit of colour in the room was Garrus, asleep with his head on the bed next to her hand and still holding on to it. She smiled at that, a real smile and not just a mental one. He must have been so tired when he came to visit. She wanted to let him sleep, but realised that he would wake up with an uncomfortable crick in his neck if she left him. With her mind made up, she tried to move her still sore and stiff limbs so she could gently shake him awake; however, any attempt at getting her other hand moving to him was met with intense pain and resistance. She involuntarily whimpered, her voice not wanting to work properly, and she squeezed his hand from the pain, making him wake with a start.

"Hmm-uh?! What?" he looked a bit dazed and confused, but he quickly came to realisation of his surroundings and looked around, before he looked at her and gaped at her, voice just above a whisper as if he was afraid this was a dream and he would shatter it with a louder voice. "Christine…., you're awake! Thank the Spirits, you're awake… Wait. How are you feeling? Are you sore? Should I call the nurse for you…" he trailed off and started to stand to walk away, letting go of her hand, but she was having none of it, gripping his hand with what little strength she could muster. He stopped and turned back to her, eyes looking questioningly at her with concern.

"It's….. ok….. wanted….. to… wake you…. stiff neck…. in morning" she managed to croak out of her disused and dry voice, which was also sore from all the screaming she had done. He seemed to understand, flaring his mandibles in a sheepish grin.

"Um.. thanks, I guess. You sure you're ok though? I should still let the nurse know your awake." He tried to leave again, but she still didn't let him go.

"Stay….. please?" she pleaded and his rigid stance softened. His presence was currently the only thing anchoring her in the here and now, and she didn't want to return to the state of half-sleep, that was pulling on her even now to its black embrace.

"I'll come back, I promise. I just want to inform the nurse and maybe get you some water, ok?" she reluctantly let go of his hand and gave a small nod once. He slipped through the curtains and came back with the nurse and a glass of water a minute later. The nurse helped her bed into more of a sitting position and then Garrus helped her take a few greedy gulps of water while the nurse hastily checked all her monitoring equipment, asking a few general questions before making some notes as she gave single word answers. Garrus sat back down at her side. Apparently the nurse had honestly forgotten that Garrus was still there, thinking he had left and he just didn't see him when everything went quiet.

The nurse had decided that this was important enough to wake Chakwas, and was off to the crew quarters. Christine gave Garrus a small smile, which he returned. "Thanks…. for getting….. me ….. out of… there." She struggled to say, but knew from what he and the others had already said that they probably blamed themselves, and she didn't want that.

"It was nothing, what are friends for, after all?" he chuckled "That and Wrex would plough through the lot of us and every Krogan and Geth in that facility on his own if we didn't at least try."

She wanted to laugh at that but it ended in a coughing fit instead, making Garrus stand up with his hands hovering above her but unsure what to do to help with so much concern on his face it looked painful. "Don't try to talk, you don't have to until you get better. Your body is still in bad shape, you need to rest-…." He was cut off by the sound of the Medbay doors opening and a split second later Chakwas pushed in front of him in a nightgown.

"You shouldn't be awake, my dear. You need to rest and recover a bit more." Her hands were frantic but gentle as she checked her over. "I would prefer to put you back in a coma for you to heal-.."

Her hand shot up and grabbed onto Chakwas's arm with surprising strength in her state, even if the movement made her winch. "No… please….. No more… dreams" she begged her, staring at her with sadness and hurt in her eyes. Chakwas breathed out a sigh.

"You need the rest my dear, but only this once, I will let you fall asleep again on your own accord. Just don't force yourself too much or I will have to put you under for your own good." Came the reluctant but warm reply. Christine gave a half-hearted and pained smile in return, and Chakwas moved to the monitoring equipment for some more checks, leaving space once more for Garrus to come sit by her side in silence.

He put his hands on her bed, looking like he wasn't sure what to do with himself right now or what should really be done, when she grabbed his closest hand in hers. He looked surprised and confused at her and seemed like he wanted to voice a question when she cut him off. "Helps….. anchor…. to reality." Is all she said to him and he seemed to understand a bit. She smiled at him before she slowly started to drift off to sleep again, reluctantly. After he was sure she was sound asleep, he slowly pulled his hand out of hers and headed off to his own bunk for the night, a small smile on his face. Chakwas hid a soft smile of her own, silently eyeing them until he was out of the Medbay; before she made her final checks and went back to bed herself.


	13. Chapter 13: Roads Untraveled

**I am extremely sorry for this chapter taking so long. Life just didn't want to leave me alone... But you can thank my sister for constantly nagging me to get it finished and for the inspiration for the last bit of this chapter, and to Commander Ray for being a speedy beta and getting it back to me within hours. A massive thanks to those of you that are still reading this, it keeps me going knowing that others are enjoying what goes on in my head sometimes. Also, part of this chapter is inspired by the song Roads Untraveled by Linkin Park; which became the title.**

 **Here's to hoping that the next chapter will come sooner. Enjoy and rate/review so I know I'm still on track. Cheers =^^=**

The dreams came, what felt to her as soon, after the warmth left her hand, but they were different this time. They felt more real, like she was actually there, living them instead of just dreaming them. Feeling the loss of unknown family and friends being killed right in front of her; monstrosities of mangled and grotesque corpses of races she didn't know, twisted by Reaper tech, overrunning everything in their path. Seeing as tech is forced into flesh, melding and moulding with it, the screams of a million pained voices at once; the stench of death, decay and burned flesh hanging heavily in whatever air she is breathing in memory. In between was flashes of what she now realises as the Citadel. Then a location on a planet flashes before her and she knows she was never there before, and it's the same location that kept appearing in her dreams. She gets the feeling that this location is very important and that the Reapers should be kept away from there. Her senses seem to fizzle out along with the remnants of the dream as blackness overtakes her once more. She relaxes and prepares for hopefully blissful, dreamless sleep for once; only to be thrust into another, completely new one as soon as she relaxes.

 _*She was unable to move, once more strapped down to some kind of lab table, by the feel of restraints around her wrists, ankles, knees, neck and waist; and a cold metal surface beneath her. Her eyes slowly open to look up to some grey roof. She rolls her head around to get a better look at the stark and empty room otherwise, with what appears to be an observation, one-way window at her 9 o'clock, and a small empty metal table the height of the lab table, to her 3 o'clock. Not even the seam of a door was visible in the small 5m by 5m room. Before she has time to contemplate anything else, she hears the voices from the two aliens she has come to know as her captors, come from beyond the window, but they sounded different, younger perhaps. The first to speak was the scientist, sounding like he was mumbling to himself._

 _"Grandfather's work seems to have taken hold on the specimen, it's flexible and adaptive DNA is quite remarkable. When the right amino-bonding agent is used, it absorbs any DNA that it is exposed to. Although this is fascinating, ... what is the point of it? It doesn't change anything of the original specimen. None of the other specimens that we captured had this ability and were more primitive." a sigh follows. "Maybe I should have stayed with the research team developing our own Mass Relays-.." his monologue is cut short by a door hissing open. "General? What brings you to this research base?"_

 _"Things have changed, we have a new and terrifying enemy that has caught our people by surprise. You have new orders." A chair is heard moving, and something is put down on a desk._

 _"What are my orders, General?"_

 _"We can no longer afford to waste the potential of this specimen. Your family had enough time, passing it from one to the next to see what makes it so different from the other specimens on Earth. This new foe, these Reapers, are more powerful than any enemy we have ever faced before. We need a new weapon and the Emperor believes your father's report that this thing can be turned into such a weapon, and from that we can enhance our own warriors and defeat them."_

 _The one with the deep voice, the head researcher, answers with what sounds like a scowl "I believe in my father's work, General; but why is he not here to deliver the message and begin the task himself?"_

 _"Because,…" the general sighed "we have been ordered away from any and all research on the primitive's home world's. Your facility is the last and will be moved quickly to an asteroid facility in the Sute'Mek cluster, for secrecy and your safety." There is a pause before he continues in a quieter tone. "Also, your father's transport was attacked before he could escape Feros. None survived. You are now the new Chief Overseer of this research project into a new weapon and anything regarding these Reapers, by Imperial decree."_

 _Another silence followed for some time before the researcher replied in a ragged voice "O-Of course General. I understand, and I shall endeavour to do my best to deliver results as soon as possible. I have one request though, why are we not instead moving the research to Ilos? The facility is intact and no records of it exists for the Reapers to find it?"_

 _"That facility is our last option, we cannot afford to attract attention to it by moving all of this equipment, Kshad! And we need to be closer to the front lines in order to test the weapon, get reports on the latest developments so we can develop countermeasures for them. Ilos is where we will make our last stand. Many colonies are already preparing to put their civilian populous into stasis in underground bunkers if worst came to bare."_

 _"I-I…Understand General. Excuse me while I prepare the lab for relocation." She hears a few footsteps and some shuffling on a desk, before they come to an abrupt halt with the beep from some computer. "The specimen is awake! It should still be under sedation….. This is the first time it is awake since my great-grandfather found it! It must have adapted to the sedative…" he trailed off excitedly, but the General's tone was less than optimistic, angry even._

 _"Kshad Ishan! Now is not the time to be distracted! Sedate that thing again with a larger dose and get it to the transports along with the rest of your equipment and men!"_

 _"Sorry, General…..Uncle, it is just that this is the first time it has done such a thing, it may have implications to its abilities and an effect on what we are planning to do with it-"_

 _The general cut him off "I swear by our ancestors, if you were not my own flesh and blood, I would have shot you by now! But we cannot waist your intellect like that, the Empire needs you… We don't have time for this! Now pack up! You can fantasise the possibilities on the transport, and test whatever theories you come up with once we are there!" she hears an exasperated sigh "Unfortunately you are now our expert on this subject nephew, you must do away with this youthful abandon and focus on what must be done. Both I and your father are to blame for this though, we left you here in charge of this facility watching their home world, doing experiments as the inspiration grabs you; without the pressures of the Empire bearing down on you for results. Your father was a master at directing your mind to the work while he placated the politicians…" he gave a soft chuckle and there was silence as they probably exchanged some sort of non-verbal communication._

 _"Understood General, the order has been sent to my staff to begin packing up, I just need some readings as I sedate the specimen in order to determine the extent of the adaption and formulate the new needed sedative…." His voice fades away as the supposed sedative floods her system again, and darkness claims her once more.*_

Shepard was doing his daily rounds. Things seem to have gone back to normal, except for the gaping, empty hole he refuses to look at in the cargo hold by the weapons bench. They would be in range of the Relay network by tomorrow and drop off the Salarian STG team on the nearest colony with transport directly to the Citadel, while they resupply. Then it was off to take care of some Cerberus facilities sent to them from Admiral Kahoku; find a missing probe that was gathering intel on the Geth; find another, but older, probe that has gone way off its intended course and carries a nuclear bomb that could go off at any second, and find out why some biotic extremists have kidnapped a politician. He sure had enough to keep him busy and his mind occupied while the Council decides what they want to do regarding Ilos, since they still refuse to send the Normandy there, or any ship for that matter. Something to do with explosions seeming to follow in his wake, but he can't help it if things keep going FUBAR from a lack of intel. There is always something that goes wrong or they discover something new and have to adapt on the fly. He just hoped they will make it in time to stop Saren from finding this Conduit on Ilos. How was he to 'deal with the threat' if he wasn't allowed close to it?

He sighs to himself as he turns to the Medbay from the elevator, to first have a talk with Liara, and then find out from Chakwas how Christine is doing today, since she apparently woke up early in the morning when she was supposed to still be in an induced coma. The things that woman does keeps amazing and surprising everyone. He had already talked to Kaidan in the CIC, where he was discussing supplies with Presley, covered every topic of day to day operations with the lieutenants in charge there, talked to Joker about his planned rout for the next few days, and covered everyone down in engineering and the cargo hold. But for now he was looking forward to his chat with Liara. They have started to…. understand each other better since the last mind meld. He greets Chakwas with a smile and a nod as he enters the Medbay once she looks up from her terminal. She, returning the greeting, already knowing his new routine of first heading to Liara before he came for the daily report, and seeing her smile, he knew that things were going alright enough that she didn't want to see him first. A quick glance at Christine's bed confirms that she is asleep again and looks better than the day they first brought her back on board. With the smile still on his face and a jump in his step, he knocks on the door to Liara's office and room, missing the twitch of Christine's hand.

Christine had peaceful sleep for a while, for how long she wasn't sure, before another new memory surfaced at a sudden sound from beyond her land of dreams and endless floating. They no longer appeared to be in some sort of order as before, this one seeming to come from probably the last few experiments before she was sealed away in a stasis pod, the researcher's voice sounding much older, tiered and more haggard than before, as she came to from the darkness once more, feeling herself strapped horizontally and securely into a pod with an orange glass top, staring at a non-descript roof. Once again, everything feeling like she is living it for the first time.

 _*"Log: 43 cycles since the Reapers started their assault to the day. The Empire is in shambles and the few remaining hideouts of our people are systematically being wiped out. Our main fleets being too scattered and unable to communicate properly after the initial assault. What is left of our military has resorted to sacrificing colonies in order to keep the Reapers occupied while they regroup and bolster the defences of the next outpost. It is only a matter of time before they find and exterminate us all. Those that remain of our leaders will not listen to my reason that it is already too late for that tactic, that we should gather all we can and hide out in bunkers in stasis until the Reapers return to dark space. At least they do not know of Ilos, their clearance was not high enough before they were thrust into their positions. The Conduit has been shut down, no need to let the Reapers know where we are with a direct link in the relay network. I and the other researches have decided to keep it a secret, as the risk of an indoctrinated agent finding out it's location is too great, we may still be able to use it to help prevent this from happening again."_

 _A sigh is heard off in the distance "I have long since stopped trying to finish this weapon for our people, although there are rumours of a larger weapon that could defeat even their largest ships. Whether this is true or not, I do not know; and cannot waste my minimal resources on finding out. I shall join my fellows in stasis there after I finish what I can of this project and hide it for future races to discover. We cannot risk it being discovered as well, if the Reapers manage to find us. I will be hiding it on one of the planets that have long since been whipped clean of our presence. Hopefully the warning I will instil within it will help prepare the next cycle. The project,…. heh, I have named it Amadia, our Redemption for our mistakes, to save the younger races from the evil that will return, and our wrath to destroy our enemies like it was made to do." A silence follows "It is awake…. It is becoming extremely resistant to most sedatives. I am resorting to mixing sedatives meant for different species, what little I have left. Being alone on a floating vessel does not help my situation. I will just have to install the tech nodes without any aids other than the nanites. They seem to be the only thing it's system is not adapting to reject. It cannot reject the grafts, but has also not completely accepted it, along with the biotic nodes and armour. We learned that it is far different to give humans biotics than it was to genetically infuse it with the Asari. Maybe, with time, it's system will adapt to accept it all. The armour is still untested, and I doubt it will be using it anytime soon, nor will there be time to test it. The command module will also be deactivated, as I will most likely not be around to give it orders. All this means is that it will take time for Amadia to learn to use its abilities by its own will, but it will adapt, it always does."_

 _"The biotics were a mistake. Its system draws too much power from it for the graft interfaces and neural network. No time to change that now, I can only hope the tech nodes will balance out the unstable energy surges, and facilitate an interface with external tech to the nervous system grafts. It is the closest I could get to giving it our means of communication. The Reapers cannot interface with it, luckily. I programed it to violently expel any foreign attempt to access it after I am done with the installation. This also holds true for indoctrination, it took some time but I was able to identify the Reaper's indoctrination signal both being transmitted and from it's agents; and devised a mental block to any such frequencies, as well as the ability to pick up it's agents at close range. Unfortunately I am not certain of how long it could last under a stronger signal if it were to end up on an actual Reaper, where the signal would be strongest. It will cause a headache at the very least. Unfortunately this was only a recent discovery, although we can now detect their agents, only those with the equipment can do so. Getting any working equipment anywhere in this blasted galaxy is a miracle." He sighed again "It gets so lonely out here…. I have resorted to talking to myself just so I could hear a voice other than Amadia's infrequent screams. It seems to even adapt to the pain from the surgeries without an anaesthetic, seeming to just accept it. I have long since run out of those, and will probably have to resort to keeping it in stasis otherwise, once I run out of sedatives. The problem with that is that it cannot heal from the surgeries while in stasis. But enough ramblings to myself, time to begin the last set of surgeries. The sooner it gets done, the less I have to struggle with my dwindling supplies. Vigil, shut down the rest of the ship and run silent, and alert me the moment Reaper forces enter the system."_

 _A different, softer but still distinctly male voice replies merely with an "Acknowledged."_

 _The orange glass cover of the pod opens again to admit the overhanging machine with the multiple arms of scalpels, tweezers and a new one with a container with small floating, little metallic looking dots, with a needle at the end. Once again the device starts at her left hand, but focuses on the fingertips itself, cutting them into even smaller ribbons than before, and the tweezers laying them out in a spread out fashion around the bone of her hands, like some sick form of art. Her screams echo in the small room, even though she has grown more accustomed to the pain over time, as her grafted nerve endings are exposed to the light and the container coming over the exposed nerves to inject small quantities of the metallic dots from the nerves to where it would be located just under her skin, concentrating them in her palm and fingertips; before moving on into the rest of her skin with a wider dispersed amount of placements, it is still severely painful. It is excruciatingly slow placing it throughout her body, blood being continually recycled back into her from her other arm._

 _While the machine works, she is already starting to heal up, only to have one of the scalpels cut her open again until the placement is finished, all the while she can only helplessly watch the procedure. The pain is so great and constant, she even completely bit off her tongue this time, and accidentally swallows it. She wants to wretch it back up but is so hampered by the pain still burning in her hand, she can't get her body to cooperate. As the machine pauses to let her hand finally start to heal itself, she can also feel her tongue start to grow back, just before the machine starts to cut open her arm from the wrist up, but this time in less threads with less placements taking place. She flares her biotics weakly in a last ditch attempt to escape the restraints, but to no avail.*_

It has been almost an hour since Shepard had gone in to talk to Liara, with Chakwas waiting patiently with her report on the table, all the while she kept to her duties and planning a new step in Christine's recovery now that her system has enough energy to apply the regeneration units to critical points, she is even showing signs of increasing her fat and muscle mass once more. It is while she is planning, that her monitoring equipment start to whine and beep to the elevated stats of her patient. She rushes over but can find no cause to the emergency, and even upping the dose of the sedative has no effect. Christine starts to toss and turn, whimpering and mumbling in her sleep. It is then that Chakwas sees her biotics starting to flare, creating a singularity in and on herself. She can feel a panic start deep down, but stamps it out under years of training and professionalism, replacing it with a cool head and thinks on her feet. Only one way to stop a dream so intense it forces the person to react in the real world, is to wake them up. She quickly shuts off the sedative and tries to restrain her patient before she hurts herself. But she alone does not seem to be enough, especially when equipment start to float around her and her own feet are having trouble to stay on the ground, so she calls out in a stern and not panicked voice. "Shepard, Liara! I need your help to restrain Christine!" while she hooks a foot around one of the bed's legs to anchor herself.

The two come bursting out of Liara's office to almost utter chaos, and take a few seconds to take in the surroundings and figure out what is going on, before they rush over to help the doctor. "What the hell is going on doc?!" Shepard asks while trying to move through the floating debris.

"I think she is having another vivid dream. Now help me hold her down and wake her!" Chakwas replies with a scowl. Shepard finally makes it to the doctors side and holds Christine down, even if he has to hold on to the bed as well, just to keep them both from floating, luckily the bed is bolted to the floor; while Liara tries to counteract the singularity without causing an explosion. Chakwas moves over to Christine's face and gently tries to shake her awake. "Christine! Christine, wake up! You're safe, you're in the Meadbay!"

Her eyes shoot open but she is still thrashing around, no hint of recognition in her hollow and glazed-over orbs, her flaring biotics stinging and burning all that touch her. Chakwas grimaces at the pain but does not let go, the same with Shepard. After a few more seconds of yelling to no avail, she does the last thing she thinks could help, and slaps her through the face. Instantaneously, Christine stops thrashing around and her purple-green biotics die, dropping everything that has been floating around them, a second later and realisation seems to cross her face. Panting lightly, Dr. Chakwas looks at her patient with concern before asking "Christine, are you all right?"

She looks around her, panting and sweat drenched, seeing Shepard letting go of her tentatively, and Liara dropping her own biotics, before she answered in a hoarse and whispered voice, bringing her hands to her face and running one over her bandaged head "Baddream, baddream, justabaddream, justabaddream, just a bad dream… What did I do Doc?" she looks up with scared and pleading eyes, hoping she didn't do serious harm to anyone.

Letting go of her gentle hold of Christine's face, Chakwas gets out her Omni-tool to scan her for any lingering effects, and because the monitoring equipment is now strewn across the floor and either off or damaged. "You must have been having another bad dream, so bad in fact that your biotics flared and you even managed to create a singularity around yourself. I stopped your sedative and we needed to wake you before you hurt yourself or anyone else around you." When she looks up, Christine looks contemplative and concerned, eyes still wide and a little unfocused to anything beyond her immediate area. When Christine looks up at her and meets her eyes, there is a silent desperation to them.

"Please don't make me go back to sleep again…." She pleaded in a cracked voice "The…. There are new dreams and they're getting more and more intense…. Every dream now feels like I'm living that moment…. that I'm the one experiencing the people, their relatives, getting shot or turned into machine monsters….. And the experiments,….. gods the experiments just keep getting worse….. they cut my hand open and splayed out the thin ribbons around the bone like some macabre artwork…. a second time…. I bit off my tongue and swallowed it….. they put more tech in me…. I don't know why…. none of it makes sense anymore…" she rambles off and by the end of it starts to sob before Chakwas cuts her off with a gentle hug, sitting the both of them up on the bed. Both Shepard and Liara looking at her with sympathetic and disturbed looks but not really knowing if they can help.

"Shhhh, shhhh, It's ok. It's ok. It's over now and you're safe here. No one is going to touch you without having to go through the crew first and you know it." Chakwas tries to soothe her, holding her tight and rubbing her back with one hand, while the other grips her tightly over her shoulders, sitting next to her. She was still very thin and looked sickly with her bruises starting to turn green and yellow from the blue and purple it was before. Her grip was weak but unwavering, and that gave Chakwas enough encouragement that she was getting stronger and will be walking around in no time.

Just as she was starting to calm down, a light green Salarian with dark red and grey eyes, and fully armoured, walks into the Medbay; followed by another with a grey skin black and light grey eyes, which was limping. Christine stiffened when she saw them, but didn't move otherwise, Chakwas tightened her grip on her slightly in response. The green one spoke in a smooth and commanding voice, not too fast and not as high pitched as she has heard from other Salarians that she met before. "Pardon the intrusion doctor, but you did state that you wanted to see Rentola before we ship out tomorrow. I would like to have him cleared for light duty so he can at least board the transport with his kit unaided. We are already having to carry Ramious and do not have the men to spare. I also do not wish to commandeer more of the Commander's time and men just so we can get to the shuttle, if necessary." He seems to take the state of the Medbay in his stride, but with a critical eye.

Chakwas keeps a hold of Christine, rubbing her back reassuringly, when she answers calmly "Yes I did ask to do a check-up, but I would prefer to do it to all of those that were injured for good measure, Captain Kirrahe. But one at a time please, my Medbay is not that large and my other patient is a little uncomfortable around aliens at this point in time. Commander Rentola, you may have a seat on the other Medbay bed while I finish up here." Rentola nods and hobbles over to the closest bed and sits with a relieved sigh.

Kirrahe glanced at Christine before replying "Ah, yes. The human female your team rescued? The Commander's reports did state that some of my men were indoctrinated and working in Saren's labs, yes? I presume this is the reason for her discomfort?"

This time Shepard answered "Yes, it is, but is not the only reason. She is still healing from a long term psychological trauma. Also, it wouldn't take any more of my time to assist your team if needs be; we need to restock and refuel when we stop in any case, Captain." He says with a shrug and a smile. Liara stands beside him with a shy smile and nods to the statement.

Christine starts to relax a bit as the others discuss the possible proceedings for the next day, knowing that she is not in any form of danger, until Kirrahe decides to make a comment about her "So I believe she is the reason for the state of the equipment? Biotic, I presume?"

To everyone's surprise, Christine answers for herself, albeit in a shaky voice, and tensed in Chakwas's arms once more "K-kinda…. I-I don't know how to control it yet, a-and I-I'm not that strong… S-sorry, I-I don't h-hate aliens; I-I just d-don't trust st-strangers."

He nods in acceptance of the fact "Understandable. I will take my leave now; Commander, Doctors. I will send the next of my team up when Rentola returns." He dismisses himself by turning around and promptly leaving, leaving behind an awkward silence, until Shepard speaks up.

"So,…. I guess I'll just grab your report and we can discuss it around lunch, doc; you seem to be busy at the moment. I'll talk to you later Liara."

"Off course, Commander." Was Liara's reply before she left for her room.

Chakwas just gave him a look that said 'There is much to be discussed' but didn't vocalise it. Instead she just nodded at him and he took his leave after picking up the fallen report, trying to escape before he gets roped into cleaning duty.

"Christine, please tell me how you are feeling now. I need to handle my other patients as well." Never stopping the soothing circles she was rubbing on her back.

"Everything hurts, and I'm hungry, but I don't want to go back to sleep, please doc. Just give me some pain meds and a book and I'll be fine." She tried to joke, although the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Chakwas sighed, before she carefully helped to lay her down on the bed again, then setting it to a more upright position. "Very well, you have made good progress with your healing. But you are restricted to bed rest here until you improve a significant amount, alright?"

This time her smile was more genuine. "Thanks Karin. Just give me something to read and I'm fine, I promise."

Chakwas chuckled at her, bringing over a basic datapad that she loads a few manuals and good books on quickly, before handing it to her. "There you go, that should last you a while. Now I need to clean this place a bit, then I'm going to start you on a series of short, focused regen unit therapy sessions. I'll be right with you Commander Rentola."

Christine immediately feels bad about the mess she made and the damage to the equipment, but knew if she tried to apologise for it that Chakwas would give her a motherly scolding for it. She can't help what happened any more than she can help feeling guilty for being the cause of it. She eyed the Salarian wearily, that sat patiently waiting for the doctor to bring some semblance of order to her Medbay. After the big equipment was moved out of the way, Chakwas gave her an injection of painkillers, and left a glass of water beside her bed, before putting one of the regen units around the back of her head and then picking up the last small items and placing them where they belonged, replacing her drip with a new bag and turning to her other patient. Christine tunes out her surroundings, settling in and buries herself in a good book. The slight fogginess of strong pain meds helping in this fact. _Never read The Hobbit before…. Anything not to dream again._ She tells herself, before being enveloped in the world of fantasy, her heart rate slowly starting to ease up after her nightmare, and the tight and panicked feeling in her chest lessening. Odd really, that she would choose to escape a world of horror and futuristic science-fiction, with that of medieval fantasy.

The next few hours seem to pass by unnoticed, except for copious amounts of food at some point, but she felt a light buzz in her hands. Soon she realised that she wasn't reading from the datapad anymore, but the words were scrolling before her eyes faster that anyone could read, and her brain seemed to just comprehend whatever was scrolling by. Although it didn't feel like she remembered anything of what she 'read', when she thought about a specific topic she went over, the information was right at hand like she knew it all along. This intrigued her, remembering what happened the first time she touched a computer from this time, down to what happened on Saren's base. She decided to go with it and try and control the direction she was going through the data and she quickly finished the story books and began on the basic manuals that were loaded. These went from modern mining equipment and maintenance, techniques; to a history of all the Mass Effect weapons development, uses and maintenance. By the time she was done with these, Chakwas had left for lunch and she was alone in the Medbay. She sighed and wondered what she could do with herself that wasn't sleeping. Then it hit her like a surprise blow to the gut, she was able to interface with the computers in Saren's Lab as well as go through available data! Sure, all she remembered from that was a map of the facility for if she was ever able to break out, but she did it. Maybe she could hack her way into the Normandy's databanks for some more manuals and books to go through. It was harmless enough, not wanting to go through the Alliance's secret files or anything; and doesn't involve her moving from the bed, she could connect via the datapad. At the very least it would keep her busy, she mused to herself.

The next hour was used to first get used to the interface, then hack her way past firewalls into the databanks via her pre-established connection. It was exhilarating to use her knowledge that both Tali, Garrus and Kaidan had taught her about programming, hacking, encoding and encryption. Once she managed this, she was flooded with data to the point of it being overwhelming. She quickly blocked all information, searching instead specifically for reading books and manuals. A pretty long list presented itself, that she copied over to the datapad. _Hehe. Even found a manual on the Tantalus drive core. Maybe now I'll be able to keep up with what Tali is talking about._ To anyone looking at her, it would just look like she was reading the datapad, peacefully.

Her reading continued for about another hour before her internal humour and data mining was cut short by the Medbay door opening, and Garrus and Tali entering. _Speak of the devil._ She gave them a genuine smile and waved slightly, her limbs still being sore from both disuse, atrophied muscles and who knew what experiments, despite the pain medication. "Hey" she called out to them, and it looked like they were going to fall over from surprise.

"Keelah, Christine! You're awake! You're awake!" Tali squealed, rushing over to her and giving her a tight hug, but quickly letting go when she grunted and whimpered from the force and pain, despite trying to hide it. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I was just so happy to see you up and awake I got carried away a little…. " she steps back and wrings her hands over each other with her head down in what looked like a shameful expression. Luckily, the only reply she gets is the rumbling laugh from Garrus, and a chuckle from Christine and Chakwas.

"Don't worry too much Tali, I might still hurt even with pain meds, but it's just too good to see the both of you again to care right now." She cheered back at her friend. Tali looked like she still felt sorry for her overreaction, she had gotten better at reading her body language and interpreting her eyes through the mask, but she decided she didn't want to spend their reunion arguing over how hard she hugged her.

So in retaliation, she grabbed Tali and gave her the hardest hug she could muster with her sore limbs, pulling a surprised yelp from her "Ok, ok! I get it, you're feeling better! No need to try and break my ribs as well." She said while wriggling from her grasp before Christine let go and lay back down on the bed. Garrus just laughs in the background at their antics, the two of them acting like sisters that hadn't seen each other for more than a cycle, while bringing over two chairs for them. Tali automatically taking the chair closest to Christine, while Garrus sat at the foot-end of the bed.

"Well, looks like you're doing much better than yesterday when you woke up, except for still being bedridden off course." He quipped in his 2 credits worth, trying for levity before he will inevitably get drowned out by the girls babbling on. He wouldn't mind though, she was awake and alive and even just listening to her talking with Tali was enough to set him at ease. It made all their efforts against Saren feel like they made more of a tangible difference, like they were getting somewhere and had set back his plans considerably. And coming here with Tali kept him from feeling awkward, even though Christine probably didn't remember his attempts to calm her down that day, or the meaning of it, and then when she woke up with his hand holding hers, he would just constantly remember that and not be very good at conversation. Even if it meant nothing but friendship, he didn't want to explain what that would have been seen as in Turian culture. He felt their friendship was too fresh and unstable that even that accident could ruin it.

Christine's features hardened a little, feeling lightly insulted. Logically she knew he didn't mean it that way, but couldn't help how it made her a bit angry. "Oh? I'd like to see you recover so quickly from the same injuries and starvation." she threw back at him, defensively. She saw him stiffen and realise what he just said was taken the wrong way. A touch of fear spread over his features, but before he could reply to either fix the situation or apologise, Tali gave him a scathing reply, but also breaking the tension that was building with each moment of silence.

"You Bosh'tet! You should stop taking lessons from Joker on what is supposedly Human humour! That's not even funny no matter what species you are! I have a better idea, how about you just sit there and be quiet for a bit, while we talk?"

Garrus looked properly chastised and almost like someone kicked his puppy, slumping in his chair, looking at the floor by his feet. Christine took pity on him. She didn't mean to sound so affronted at his haphazard attempt at humour, and now Tali was on his case about it. Garrus tried to at least apologise to both women. "I-I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I didn't mean to-..." he sighed "I just wanted to make you smile and forget about it for a little while. I'm obviously no good at it." If it was possible for a Turian to look utterly dejected, Garrus would be the dictionary description of it.

Christine sighed, letting the last of her anger flow out with the exhale. "It's ok, I know you didn't mean it that way. Let's not talk about me being stuck in bed, and maybe what you lot have been up to until recently?" Both Tali and Garrus relaxed at her words and were glad for the subject change. Honestly, she didn't have the energy to argue with her few friends she has left in this galaxy over a stupid misunderstanding. She pushed those thoughts from her mind as Tali jumped in to explain all that happened while they were tracking her and Saren down. Garrus added a few details here and there, or things that happened when Tali wasn't present.

But when Garrus mentioned that Tali didn't even drag him into a conversation about the drive core, Christine perked up. "Oh, speaking of which. Tali, I read about the drive core and how it's the first of its kind, not just in design, but putting such a large powerhouse into such a small ship. How did they manage that and why wasn't it done before?" remembering everything she read about in the manual. Unfortunately, it didn't cover any of the other systems or how they interacted so she was curious. Especially now that she seemed to learn at the speed of data transfer. Well,... almost. Theory at least. She wasn't going to mention this tidbit for fear of becoming another experiment for the Council when she would be released from the Normandy's care. She didn't know how they ran things out in this galaxy and would only mention things that one could read up on the extranet. After all, she would be working back whatever she owed the Council for this anyway.

Tali's voice modulator and face lit up like a Christmas tree, as she animatedly started to explain the drive core dynamics and interconnecting systems that makes it all happen. She did notice though, that no one mentioned what happened at the labs, and started to get a growing, dark pit forming at the bottom of her stomach, like they were deliberately not mentioning something to her. Eventually, when Tali ended off with propulsion physics and heat exchange, Christine had gathered up the courage to ask "So... what happened at Sarens lab? Did we all make it out ok?"

Silence and stunned faces surrounded her, you could even hear a pin drop, but that was Chakwas dropping whatever instrument she was busy with. That pit of fear just grew larger and was starting to envelop all of her like a black hole. She was looking anxiously between everyone in the room, waiting for someone to tell her. Finally, Garrus broke the silence with a cough at first to clear his throat, then in a sombre voice, barely above a whisper and she had to strain to hear him. "Well,... uh... you see the thing is... we blew up the research facility on Vermire with an improvised nuke. Saren was cloning Krogan for an army, but was also studying indoctrination there and apparently you were his main source of research data." he cleared his throat again "Aaanda ...uh... yah, that's it." he sat forwards in his chair, leaning his elbows on his knees, not looking her in the eyes as he spoke.

Something was off, they wouldn't react that badly if it was just not telling her that she was the centre of yet another experiment. She already _knew_ that. Then a thought started nagging at the back of her head. Through all her dreams and unconscious listening, not once had she heard Ashley come to visit her, and no one mentioned how she handled it when Christine was gone. The black pit started to envelop her throat, but she managed to say "Where is Ashley?"

If she thought it was silent before, now it was painful to her ears. Garrus looked away from her, a mixture of shame, sorrow and anger mixing in his features. Chakwas looked sad and almost depressed, but didn't say a word, holding back tears. Tali was the one that finally spoke up after a minute or so. "She... She made sure the bomb went off..." a sniff is heard from under the helmet "Once you were safely on the Normandy, Shepard took Wrex and me to go help Alenko. Garrus and Liara were sent to the Medbay with you. Alenko and the Salarian STG unit that were originally investigating the facility, were pinned down by Geth at the AA towers. The Normany took off from the bomb site to go to the rendezvous point, leaving a few marines to guard the bomb, while Ashley prepped it. Just as we were almost to Alenko's position, a Geth Dropship landed a lot of troops at the bombsite. Ashley activated the bomb to make sure it would go off and destroy the facility and any research Saren had. Shepard didn't have time to go after both of them, so he chose Kaidan and the STG team. We rescued them in time, but Saren attacked Shepard. He nearly killed him when the bomb alert went off; allowing Shepard to escape, but also for Saren to get away. There wasn't enough time left to go pick up Ashley... We... we left her there until the bomb went off..."

No one looked each other in the eye now. Christine just stared at the wall, trying desperately to hold back the tide of emotions. Chakwas was at her side in a few seconds, comforting her as best she can. She knew that Christine had barely enough energy for what she was doing now, and to add emotional strain would not help her at all, but it had to have come out at some point; she just wished it wasn't so soon in her recovery. Before she could send her visitors out to leave her to rest again, Christine spoke up. "Th-Thank you for telling me..." sniff "Can you... can you please... give me some time alone?" she managed to choke out.

Chakwas turned to Tali and Garrus. "Yes, please leave her to rest. You're visiting time is up and you can come again tomorrow if you want; but for now visiting times are over. Vakarian, please inform everyone that there will be no further visitations for the day."

Christine just turns on her side away from everyone, still staring at the wall, while she curls up on herself. Screw the physical pain, she has literally lived through worse. All she wanted to do now was silently cry for yet another friend that she has lost. She didn't hear them leave, she didn't hear Chakwas say comforting words to her, just felt her rubbing her back in circles and eventually removing the regen units from her. She did hear that she should get some sleep. Inwardly she screamed at the idea, she didn't want to go back to sleep, back to the nightmares; even if the real world was currently just as painful. She needed to sear Ash's memory into her brain, to remember her for who she was; and giving her the respect that she was due for what she did for all of them, for _her._ Silent tears ran down her cheeks into her pillow. She noticed only now that Chakwas must have lowered the bed again so she could lay down flat. The tears kept coming unbidden, but she didn't make a sound. The grieving took all of her remaining energy, and she reluctantly fell asleep again, feeling more empty and lost than she had since waking up the first time on this ship.

She was strangely having no dreams for a while, but it never lasted. As with every other time, the dreams started with what everyone else labelled the Beacon Vision, only hers was more real to her. Always the screams, the smells of burning flesh, smoke, ozone and overheated weapons, the feeling of loss and sorrow and despair, always ending in the zoom in on that world that was so important but she didn't know the name or location of, before ending. A short while of blissful blackness follows, before she is jarred back into the dreams of her first experiments, all of them in disarray with no order and even jumping between dreams at various points. What awoke her was the flashes of her seeing herself being cut open to place various _things_ inside of her, seeing her hand cut to ribbons, then her torso, her feet, every part of her that she could see being cut into ribbons and then slowly allowed to grow back when the machine was done. And then she saw Ashley's face, all smiling and teasing; like when she wouldn't be able to hit a target with the sniper rifle; before it burst into flames, boiling and melting away her flesh from the bones.

She shot upright from her bed like a coiled spring, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Oddly, she hadn't been screaming for a change. When she became more aware of her surroundings, she relaxed slightly and slumped back into her bed. Even as her heart rate fell and her breathing stabilised, she couldn't get her mind to calm down. The images of the Visions, her experiments and Ashley's melting face kept flashing before her eyes every time she would close them. Eventually she gave up and just stood on her weak legs, not even thinking of how she was able to move without pain all of a sudden. She pulled out her IV and shambled over to the locker, closing her privacy curtains behind her again, where Chakwas used to keep her clothes while she stayed in the Medbay. Only now did she notice that there was no one in there with her. The nurse or Chakwas must have gone out for a minute.

Christine found some loose fitting clothes, and pulled on an overly large shirt and some shorts that looked like they were meant for sleeping in anyway. After a few minutes of thought, she decided she just needed to get out of the Medbay. Being alone, with the flashing memories and confined space was getting to her in a way that was probably like having claustrophobia. Almost on autopilot, she slipped into the maintenance tunnels again, hoping the space and possible company in the cargo hold would help her get over her nightmares.

Wrex woke up at his usual time at about 0300 ship time. After finishing his shower while no one was awake, and taking a few ration bars and some of the Human coffee they seem to be so fond of, he returned down to his little hole behind some crates. No, he didn't particularly like coffee that much, but it was better than those stupid tea's and it was pretty much the only warm drink available to him on this ship otherwise. He always went to sleep earlier than most, and got up early so he could almost have the ship to himself. The Salarians found some open bunks in the crew quarters to sleep in, and would spend the night cycle up in the mess hall when they weren't sleeping. _Thank the ancestors for that. Wouldn't want to have to share this space with those pyjaks snoring up the place._ They would be dropping them off later today at some colony, and then be off on another mission for the Alliance somewhere chasing some Geth or something. As long as he got to shoot something at some point during it all, he would be content.

Hearing Garrus snore from behind the Mako reminded him to silently return to his corner when he got off the lift. He was about to get comfortable with a datapad when he caught the scent of something else in the air. Silently putting down his mug and ration bar on his makeshift table, he followed the scent. As it became more defined he realised it was more a _someone_ than a something. _Let's see... Lots of medi-gel, sweaty, definitely human. Hhmmm... a bit of fear, lots of anxiety,... and female._ There was only one human on this ship that currently fit that description; along with a few faint hints of personal scent: Christine. Smiling to himself, he rumbles softly so as not to wake the Turian, but was standing close enough to the source so he knew she would hear him. "Come on out Christine, I can smell you're here."

A hatch opens in the floor grating close to the weapons bench, before she clambers out of the maintenance tunnels. His smile is still on his face when she looks up at him sheepishly. "Hi Wrex..." She says softly, also probably hearing the Turian snoring softly in the background.

"Hey kid, what you doing out of the Medbay?" he asks in return. She did look a lot better than when he rushed her on board a week ago. She had gained some weight and almost half of her bandages were off, still sickly and weak looking, but better. As she hesitated to answer he walked up to her and gently put an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to his improvised seating area. "Come on, I got some snacks back here for us and you can tell old Wrex what's bothering you."

She looked up at him in surprise, but silently followed him, sitting across from him on a his modified bunk of two pushed together human beds with an extra crate at the end for his added length, while he sits on his crate table, picking up his coffee and handing her one of the ration bars. He waits patiently while she almost breathes the bar in, chuckling softly to himself at the scene. When she was done, he finally asks again "So what wakes and brings you here to my hold, kid. And I know it's something bothering you 'coz you reek of anxiety."

Christine's eyes go as wide saucers, before she looks down at the wrapper in her hands shyly, starting to straighten it and then folds it up slowly as she answers. "I-I had a bad dream again... Only this time it was everything at once..." She still didn't look up at him. Wrex eyed her while taking a sip of his coffee.

"Come on, kid. No need to be ashamed of your nightmares. You've seen things done to you that would leave half the Krogan I know weeping like babies in their beds, yet here you stand. Tell Uncle Wrex about it, maybe I can help you." He offers gently. Sure, crying and waking from nightmares is normally looked down upon as weakness by any adult Krogans. But Christine was not Krogan and, from what he's heard from Shepard and the Turian talking about her dreams, has lived through things that could have killed a normal Krogan or left any species in a jabbering, insane mess. She was stronger than she thought she was.

Christine looked up at Wrex with unbelieving eyes. "Uncle Wrex?" she asks with a hint of amusement. He barks a quick laugh, before quieting down again, he wasn't thinking of how she would take that. He heard a Human male use it on a scared child once to help calm them and get them talking, and thought it would work here as well. Maybe he had the wrong context?

"You can use it if you want, but don't go spreading it around. I have a reputation to uphold, after all." His smile betrays his serious tone, and she smiles in return.

"Ok, _Uncle Wrex._ " She giggled at him, his smile just kept climbing up his face. Wrex never thought he would be called that; not by family anyway. He either would never know about any nieces or nephews, or would die in battle before he met them. Being called that had a swell of warmth bloom in his chest. To think that this skinny, shy Human girl could make him go all soft and let her call him 'uncle'. Of all the names and titles he's been called over the many cycles, this one was one of those he most yearned for, next to 'father'. He quickly stopped that train of thought and focused on his little pyjak in front of him. He took his mug and walked over to sit next to her on his bed, draping his other arm gently over her too skinny shoulders.

Surprising him, she flung her arms around his thick neck, hugging him, burying her face on his shoulder and letting out a few silent sobs that shook her body. Unsure of what to do, he awkwardly patted her on the back a little before a muffled 'thank you' escaped her. "What are you thanking me for, pyjack? I haven't even done anything yet?" He said with no heat to his words, but still puzzled at her reaction.

She moved to curl up by his side, her legs pulled up to her chest, sniffing once to banish the few tears that escaped her before answering "Thank you for just being there, for being the closest thing to family I have left in this screwed up galaxy. You and this crew are all I know and the only ones I can trust." He can only smile back at her. Family. Something he hasn't put much meaning or feelings in for a long time. But time to get to the reason she is here.

"So come on, spill it. What brought you down to Uncle Wrex for a chat?" he asks again and then takes another sip of his coffee. She sighs next to him and begins to tell him everything about her dreams from the beginning right down to her latest, mixed up dream ending in Ashley's melting face. Internally he is horrified and angry at the experiments that were done to her and now understand why she would wake up screaming almost every night. Few would come out sane after surviving experiences like that.

They talk it out a bit more before he realised that she was slowly drifting off to sleep. He keeps talking until he is sure she is asleep, before he leans back against the wall, cradling her small form in his lap, her head resting on his chest, dwarfing her. As he looked down on her, he couldn't help but feel protective of her. How could he not? She was so small, fragile, skinny and soft; especially compared to him. And she was female. He was amazed that she would feel safe enough with him to fall asleep next to him, when so many others wouldn't even turn their backs on him just because he is a Krogan. Once again he smiled to himself, that he could gain her trust like this in such a short time. He decided that he would take another snooze himself, since he didn't want to wake her by moving too much or putting her down on his bed. As he drifted off to doze, he idly thought to himself that this is what it must feel like to be a father, getting a child to sleep on his arms.

He was woken up by the sound of the elevator moving and opening. The Turian was awake and heading for the showers like he did every morning before the rest of the crew got up. That meant that Chakwas would come looking for Christine soon. He didn't want his little Human to be moved when she was sleeping so peacefully in his arms. And from the fact that she hadn't stirred or even made a peep, told him she was truly sleeping deeply for once. He told himself that he would not let anyone, anyone, wake her until she woke up on her own. She deserved the rest. The doctor would agree with him when she found them, and that would lead to probably the whole cargo bay being left to himself and her sleeping. He liked that idea.

The elevator door opened and he heard chattering voices, voices he knew and despised... The Salarians. How was he going to get them to quiet down without waking Christine... She twitched and groaned in his arms and anger flared in him. A violent "SSHHHHHHHT!" escaped him that luckily didn't wake his charge. The mumbling chatter stopped, and a few seconds later their Captain poked his head around Wrex's crate wall. He glared at him with his most menacing look, making it obvious that they better stay quiet to let her sleep, _or else!_. The Salarian eyed him suspiciously, then examined him thoroughly, noting the sleeping form at his side and his protective hold on her; before he nodded in return and left. He could hear all the Salarians shuffling about, gathering their things before returning to the elevator. He sighed in relief, watching as Christine's features went back to what seemed like contentedness.

A few more minutes pass, and then the Turian returns, humming a disgustingly happy tune. He lets out a low growl that he knew that Humans won't hear, but that a Turian would pick up and understand. It was a warning. The humming stopped and he got a confused trill in reply from his sub-harmonics. He growled again to get the point across. Christine mumbled something and her expression turned to a more pained one. He stilled just before the Turian peaked around the corner. He would have laughed if he could at the shocked and stunned expression he received. Eventually the Vakarian fledgling mouthed ' _What the fuck_?!', making him want to laugh even more. But in return he just very quietly told him to "Shut up and piss off, she's sleeping." in a harsh whisper, adding his best glare to get the point across yet again. He was starting to wonder how many times he would have to repeat himself, did the people on this ship not understand him? Could they not inform others before they got here?

Vakarian was still stunned but nodded his assent and retreated back to the Mako, gathering some things before he went back up the lift. A short while later, he heard it come back down, and heard some harsh whispers between the Doctor and Commander. "Winslow thought she was asleep behind the privacy curtain, no one saw her get out." He let out a more audible growl and the whispers stopped, before both came around the corner. Shepard looked stunned stupid while the doctor had a smile on her face.

Finally, the Commander found words to come out of his mouth, at least in a whisper "Wrex? What the hell?" Articulate, wasn't he? Both Wrex and Chakwas glared at him in response. He looked between the two, the raised his hands, palms up and mouthed a ' _What?_ ' with his most innocent face he could pull. Wrex just snorted at him and Chakwas shook her head, before walking up to Wrex, opening her omni-tool and scanning Christine. He eyed her while she went over the readouts, before nodding at him.

"Everything looks good. And she is finally sleeping peacefully. Can I ask you to keep her here until she wakes? I don't want to disturb her. She refuses to sleep until she is utterly exhausted and it is not helping her healing." She whispers at him. He only nods in acknowledgement as he had been planning on doing so since the beginning. The doctor smiles in return "Please bring her back to the Medbay when she wakes." He nods again and then she turns around to leave, grabbing Shepard by the arm on her way out and dragging him along. On their way out he hears her whisper harshly to him "I don't want anyone to disturb her while she sleeps! I don't care if you have to put restrictions on movement to the cargo bay but get it done Commander! She has never looked this peaceful while she slept before and her healing has started back up, so I intend that she gets all the rest she needs." in a voice that brokered no argument. He doesn't hear the rest as the lift doors close. He chuckles softly to himself, getting comfortable once more, thinking that Chakwas would have made a great Krogan mother. She was definitely born to the wrong species. Similar to the pyjak in his arms.


End file.
